What to expect during my procedure?
When you attend your appointment at Apex Radiology you will be asked to answer a few safety questions, remove any jewellery, watches etc.
A nurse will explain and prepare you for the stress test, which includes introducing an intravenous cannula (a small tube for taking blood samples and administering medicines) and electrocardiogram (ECG) monitoring during the persantin (MIBI) infusion. A doctor will then speak to you, explain what you are likely to feel, and begin the stress test. Near the end of the stress test, the doctor will inject the MIBI through the intravenous cannula.
After 30 to 60 minutes resting, the technologist will position you in the gamma camera and begin imaging. The gamma camera is a large square radiation detector which rotates around the chest (SPECT). You will experience no unusual sensations or discomfort from the scan which takes around 15 minutes.
The images are usually combined with a low dose CT (Computed Tomography) scan performed at the same time on the same scanner. This combined SPECT/CT scan improves the accuracy of the information obtained, and adds only a few minutes to the duration of the procedure.
After the first scan is completed, the technologist will inject more MIBI, and ask you to wait, resting from 30 to 60 minutes before repeating the scan to show the heart perfusion at rest.
Please allow between two to four hours for the entire procedure.
Risks and side effects
Stress testing with persantin carries a very small risk of adverse cardiac events (eg cardiac arrest) in some patients. Other minor, transient side effects are more common, and include headache. These can be relieved with the injection of an antidote drug. These risks will be fully explained to you before the test begins.
Nuclear medicine examinations are considered very safe with almost no reported adverse reactions attributable to the radiopharmaceuticals used in these examinations.
Nuclear Medicine studies require very small doses of gamma radiation and are only performed where the benefits of the examination are deemed to outweigh any potential risks. At Apex Radiology you can be assured that using the latest technology and with staff trained in radiation reduction techniques, radiation doses are kept as low as reasonably possible.
If you are worried or concerned about having a Nuclear Medicine study you should discuss this with your referring doctor or medical specialist before coming for your examination.
If you think you may be pregnant, please inform our Nuclear Medicine team before your examination.
Who will perform and report my examination
At Apex Radiology your examination will be carried out by a Nuclear Medicine Technologist who has a degree in Medical Radiation Science and is accredited by the ANZSNM.
Your images will be reviewed along with your relevant medical history, and any other imaging, and be reported by our Nuclear Medicine credentialed radiologist or Nuclear Medicine Physician (a medical doctor specialising in the interpretation of Nuclear Medicine studies).