Myocardial Perfusion Scintigraphy (Myocardial Scintigraphy)

PREPARATION          

• Fasting is not necessary;
• Light eating on the day of the exam (e.g., small amount of bread or toast with butter, crackers, jam, yogurt, milk or juice);
• If the exam is in the afternoon, it is necessary to have a light and easily digestible meal before the exam;
• Withhold the use of beverages and foodstuffs that contain caffeine (e.g., coffee, chocolates, mate tea, black tea, green tea, Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Guarana, chocolate cake, coffee candy, including decaffeinated coffee, etc.) and alcoholic beverages for at least 12 hours before the exam.
• When showering, it is necessary to rub the chest region well with soap and not to use any type of moisturizer. For males, if necessary, we will perform trichotomy (hair removal) on the chest for better affixation of the electrodes. For females, we do not recommend the use of bras with metal arches (half-cup);
• Bring appropriate clothing for the exam: sports tracksuits, shorts, sneakers or shoes with rubber soles and face towels. These garments are recommended to perform the physical exertion test. For females, we also recommend the use of a top to perform the test, both physical and pharmacological;
• Avoid moderate to intense physical activity the day before the exam.
• This test should be avoided in patients with symptoms of chest pain or shortness of breath in the last 24 hours;
• Do not consume cigarettes on the day of the exam (including electronic cigarettes);
• Metallic and radiodense objects in the chest area should be removed (e.g., chains, holy symbols, prostheses, bra rim, coins, electrodes, etc.);
• You need to rest well during the night before;
• Bring the results of recent cardiological exams, such as; catheterization, exercise test, echocardiogram.
• It is necessary to confirm your appointment the day before;
• The exam lasts for an average of 4 to 6 hours, but it is recommended to book all day;
• In case of cancellation, please notify us as far in advance as possible;
• Some medications must be stopped before the exam, check the list with our call center. Consult your doctor to see whether medications can be stopped;
• Always correctly inform the name of all medications you are using.
• It is recommended that the patient bring all prescribed medications to take them after the exam (even those that have been thus far withheld);
• This test is not recommended for pregnant and/or breastfeeding women.

HOW IS THE EXAM PERFORMED?

This exam consists of two stages, so it is time-consuming.

1st stage – Rest:

Upon arrival at the clinic, the patient will be sent to the reception to fill out the registration form.

They will then be directed to the injection room and a small amount of radioactive material will be injected into the vein, preferably from the forearm. The patient must wait at least 40 minutes to acquire the resting images.

For the excess of this radioactive material to be cleared by the liver and intestine, we advise the patient to eat and walk during this interval. When returning to the clinic, the patient will be taken to the examination room and positioned on the device’s gurney, where they must remain lying down for approximately 20 minutes.

2nd stage – Stress:

After the end of the first stage, the patient will perform the exercise test (in a treadmill), which will be supervised by the cardiologist. To start this stage, a new puncture will be performed and when the patient is walking/running on the treadmill and reaches the desired number of heartbeats per minute, the second dose of the same tracer will be injected.

Once the exercise test is finished, the patient will be instructed to wait until further image acquisition, in the same way as the procedure of the first phase. Some patients are unable to perform physical exertion due to their functional limitations. In these cases, we replace physical stress with pharmacological stress, without any type of physical effort being necessary.

There is no need to remain on the premises of the clinic in the intervals between injections and image acquisition.

It is essential to follow the recommendations above so that your exam is carried out within the requirements of the protocol, thus avoiding the need for rescheduling and ensuring the quality of the exam.

The two stages of the exam can be taken on the same day or on different days.

OE 004 – Version:  11/2024 

                                                                                                                             Made by: DIMEN Technical Team