This test helps to determine the presence or absence of coronary artery disease with the use of treadmill exercising and the injection of a small amount of radioactive myoview into a vein during exercise.

Myoview is not a dye. It is a radioactive salt solution that has never caused an allergic reaction. The amount of radiation received from the Myoview dose is less than or equal to the amount you would receive from a routine x-ray.

The theory behind Myoview stress testing is that at exercise, blood supply to diseased coronary arteries is reduced to allow maximum blood flow to viable heart muscle tissue. This decreased blood flow to diseased vessels means a decreased amount of myoview in these arteries. These occurrences can be visualized from images (pictures) obtained with a camera and computer system immediately following exercise and repeated three to four hours later.

Procedure

You will be exercising so wear comfortable, non-constricting clothing and proper shoes (preferably with rubber soles). Please take your medications as usual, except beta blockers. You may eat a light breakfast, however no caffeine should be consumed the morning of your test.

Upon arrival, the nuclear medicine technologist will start a temporary I.V. in the vein of your arm for the purpose of injecting the Myoview while you are exercising. You will have your first set of pictures taken of your heart which will take 20 minutes. Then, a stress technician will set you up for a 12-lead electrocardiogram that will monitor the electrical activity of your heart before, during, and after exercise.

During the complete exercise portion of the test, a board certified cardiologist will be present to monitor the ECG and to determine at which stress level the test should be terminated.

One minute prior to termination of the stress test, the nuclear medicine technologist will inject the Myoview. When this minute of exercise is complete, the treadmill is stopped and post-exercise ECG's are obtained.

Myoview Stress Testing

Following the post-exercise ECG's, stress images of the heart are taken.

After completion of the imaging sequence, computer analysis of the acquired pictures is performed, and a board certified cardiologist interprets and reports the results to your physician.

If you have any questions regarding the Myoview Stress Testing procedure, please do not hesitate to call.