DIAGNOSTIC INVESTIGATIONS: CLINICAL LABOROTARYTESTS - SPECIAL INVESTIGATIONS - ECHOCARDIOGRAPHY & CARDIAC SCINTISCAN

Echocardiography

Q. What is an echocardiogram ?

A. Echocardiography or ultrasound cardiography is a safe non-invasive procedure used in cardiology. Ultrasound waves are sound waves of frequencies higher than the range of hearing of the human ear. These waves obey the optical laws of reflection and refraction. They are reflected by very small objects. The patient does not feel the waves as they are directed towards the heart. On reflection, they are converted into electrical impulses which can be seen on an oscilloscope or can be photographed. Thus, various parts of the heart can be examined. The examination can be repeated safely at any time.

Cardiac Scintiscan

Q. What exactly is a heart scintiscan ?

A. Radioactive tracer material (thallium or pyrophosphate) is injected into a vein of the patient. The thallium accumulates in the healthy areas of the heart, where the blood supply is normal, but neither in the ischaemic areas nor in the infarcted areas, where the blood supply is deficient. Thus, the specific areas can be pinpointed. With pyrophosphate, the opposite happens. This chemical accumulates in the diseased ischaemic or infarcted areas but not in the healthy areas. A sensitive instrument detects the radioactivity, which like the X-rays, is photographed.

Q. What precisely does a scintiscan show ?

A. It shows the actual size of the infarct either by accumulation of the radioactive material, or lack of it, depending upon the method used. It is a safe, non-invasive procedure and can be used on patients who are seriously afflicted with acute myocardial infarction. This procedure shows up the infarct even before characteristic changes appear on the" ECG or the blood enzymes.

Q. The scintiscan, being a radioactive procedure, how safe is it ?

A. The exposure of the patient to radioactivity is no more than that to an ordinary X-ray film. It is, therefore, very safe and can be repeated as and when necessary.

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Cardio & Blood

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