[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2018\/07\/dspect-nuclear-stress-test\/#Article","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2018\/07\/dspect-nuclear-stress-test\/","headline":"Video: A Faster, Easier Nuclear Stress Test with the D-SPECT Camera","name":"Video: A Faster, Easier Nuclear Stress Test with the D-SPECT Camera","description":"A nuclear stress test is one of the most common tests cardiologists use to diagnose and monitor many heart conditions. Learn more. ","datePublished":"2018-07-03","dateModified":"2021-10-14","author":{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.upmc.com\/services\/heart-vascular","name":"Heart and Vascular Institute","url":"https:\/\/www.upmc.com\/services\/heart-vascular","sameAs":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/heart-and-vascular-institute\/","parentOrganization":"UPMC"},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"UPMC HealthBeat","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/UPMC-HealthBeat-Logo.png","url":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/UPMC-HealthBeat-Logo.png","width":600,"height":60}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/nuclear-stress-tests.png","url":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/nuclear-stress-tests.png","height":327,"width":754},"url":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2018\/07\/dspect-nuclear-stress-test\/","about":["Living and Wellness"],"wordCount":295,"articleBody":"A nuclear stress test is one of the most common tests cardiologists use to diagnose and monitor many heart conditions. The test measures blood flow to the heart at rest and after activity, or stress.Visit the UPMC Heart and Vascular Institute to learn more about nuclear stress tests.The test shows how well blood flows to your heart and can help your doctor:Detect the presence of\u00a0heart diseaseDetermine your risk for heart attacksUnderstand how well treatment \u2014 like medicine, angioplasty, or heart surgery \u2014 is workingDecide whether you are healthy enough to start an exercise program or undergoA traditional nuclear stress test uses a gamma camera, a donut-shaped imaging machine, to take pictures of your heart after the injection of a radioactive tracer. The patient is scanned at rest and pictures are obtained. Next, you either exercise or receive medicine to simulate exercise and will have a second scan to obtain pictures after stress. Your doctor will compare the pictures obtained after stress to those obtained at rest.RELATED: Meet the Members of Your Heart Failure Care TeamIn a gamma camera, you must lie completely still with your arms above your head, and each scan takes about 20 minutes. Some people with back pain, trouble breathing,\u00a0claustrophobia, and other health problems find it hard to lie still in the scanner.In this video,\u00a0Matthew Harinstein, MD, FACC, FASE, FASNC,\u00a0explains how nuclear stress tests work using both a gamma camera and the newer D-SPECT\u00ae nuclear cardiology camera, which offers many advantages to some patients, including:A more comfortable test that allows you to sit up, instead of lying downFaster scanning timeA lower dose of radiationVisit the UPMC Heart and Vascular Institute to learn more about nuclear stress tests."},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"2018","item":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2018\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"07","item":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2018\/\/07\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Video: A Faster, Easier Nuclear Stress Test with the D-SPECT Camera","item":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2018\/07\/dspect-nuclear-stress-test\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]