Performed much like an exercise stress test, only a nuclear stress test or thallium stress test involves the injection of a radioactive substance into your bloodstream for imaging purposes. Using a special scanner, myocardial perfusion imaging detects the radioactive material in your heart and identifies areas of the heart where blood flow is inadequate. It’s particularly helpful in determining the extent of coronary artery blockage, prognoses for heart attack survivors, post-op evaluation of interventional procedures and chest pain diagnosis.

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