Cardiovascular Diagnosis & Imaging
The first step toward a healthy heart is to determine the type and extent of cardiovascular disease. Merit Health Central provides heart care, utilizing advanced diagnostic equipment. Experienced clinical cardiologists use a wide range of cardiac procedures to diagnose heart disease, including:
- Nuclear medicine scans such as positron emission tomography (PET), PET/CT scans, or thallium or myocardial perfusion scans utilize a small dose of radioactive material to reveal the structure and blood flow within the heart.
- Non-invasive imaging technologies including magnetic resonance angiography (MRA), computed tomography angiography (CTA), X-ray and echocardiograms provide images of the heart muscle, valves, veins and arteries.
- Cardiac catheterization, or coronary angiogram, is used by doctors to both diagnose and treat heart disease. This minimally invasive, interventional cardiology technique uses a catheter (thin, flexible tube) that is inserted into the arteries to examine the heart, arteries and veins with real-time images (fluoroscopy). These procedures only require a tiny incision where the catheter is inserted into an artery, so it results in less blood loss, less pain and a quicker recovery for patients.