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Many noninvasive and invasive tests can delineate cardiac structure and function (see Table 1: Cardiovascular Tests and Procedures: Tests for Assessing Cardiac Anatomy and Function). Also, treatments can be administered during certain invasive diagnostic tests (eg, percutaneous coronary intervention during cardiac catheterization, radiofrequency ablation during electrophysiologic testing).

Table 1
Tests for Assessing Cardiac Anatomy and Function Application Tests Left ventricular function Echocardiography   Multiple-gated acquisition (MUGA) radionuclide imaging   Gated MRI   Contrast ventriculography Coronary artery disease diagnosis and prognosis Exercise or pharmacologic stress testing with ECG, myocardial perfusion imaging, or echocardiography   Magnetic resonance angiography   Coronary angiography   Intravascular ultrasonography Myocardial viability Resting single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) myocardial perfusion imaging   Stress testing (using low-dose dobutamine Some Trade Names DOBUTREX Click for Drug Monograph ) with echocardiography   Positron emission tomography (PET)

Last full review/revision November 2005

Content last modified November 2005