Diagnostic Cardiology Services

The Heart Center's expertise includes:

• Cardiac catheterization - a procedure where a thin plastic tube or catheter is guided by a physician through an artery or vein in the arm or leg and into the heart and the coronary arteries in the heart. This test can measure blood pressure and how much oxygen is in the blood, and provide other information about the pumping ability of the heart muscle.
• Coronary angiography - an X-ray examination of the blood vessels or chambers of the heart using a dye which is injected into the coronary arteries with a catheter. This procedure measures precisely how big or small the arteries are and also measures changes in the arteries.
• Echocardiogram - also called an ECG or EKG, this testing method provides a graphic record of the heart's electrical impulses to determine if the heart has been damaged.
• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) - computer-generated pictures which produce high-resolution images of the cardiac chambers and large vessels, helping to diagnose and evaluate certain types of cardiac disease.
• Positron emission tomography (PET) - a noninvasive study and quantification of various aspects of heart tissue function which is used to diagnose patients, describe disease and develop treatment strategies.
• Transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE) - used to diagnose certain types of heart disease. TEE is very much like a regular (transthoracic) (trans-thor-a-sik) echocardiogram (TTE). . TEE uses an ultrasound probe on the outside of your chest to see your heart and is more accurate and can be used when problems with the chest make TTE hard to do.Also used for intraoperative monitoring during cardiac valve surgery or high-risk coronary artery surgery, and during non-cardiac surgery on high-risk cardiac patients.
• Nuclear ventriculography (MUGA or RNV) - is a test that uses radioactive tracers to make heart chambers and blood vessels visible. The procedure is non-invasive. The heart structures are not touched by instruments.