Radionuclide ventriculography

Radionuclide Ventriculography

Radionuclide ventriculography, also known as nuclear ventriculography or equilibrium radionuclide angiography (ERNA), is a medical imaging technique used to evaluate the function of the heart's ventricles. This non-invasive procedure provides detailed information about the heart's pumping efficiency, particularly the left ventricle, which is responsible for pumping oxygenated blood to the body.

Procedure

Radionuclide ventriculography involves the intravenous injection of a radioactive tracer, typically technetium-99m-labeled red blood cells. Once injected, the tracer circulates through the bloodstream and is taken up by the heart. A gamma camera is then used to capture images of the heart as it beats, allowing for the assessment of ventricular function.

The procedure is usually performed in two phases:

• First-pass radionuclide angiography: This phase captures images as the tracer first passes through the heart, providing information about the right and left ventricles.
• Equilibrium radionuclide angiography: This phase involves imaging the heart over several cardiac cycles to assess the left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and wall motion.

Clinical Applications

Radionuclide ventriculography is primarily used to:

• Evaluate left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), which is a key indicator of cardiac function.
• Monitor cardiac function in patients undergoing chemotherapy, as certain drugs can be cardiotoxic.
• Assess heart function in patients with heart failure or cardiomyopathy.
• Evaluate the effectiveness of treatments for heart disease.

Advantages and Limitations

Advantages

• Non-invasive: The procedure does not require surgery or catheterization.
• Accurate and reproducible: Provides precise measurements of LVEF and ventricular volumes.
• Functional assessment: Offers dynamic imaging of the heart, allowing for the evaluation of wall motion abnormalities.

Limitations

• Radiation exposure: Involves exposure to ionizing radiation, although the dose is relatively low.
• Limited anatomical detail: Does not provide detailed anatomical images like those obtained with echocardiography or MRI.
• Availability: Requires specialized equipment and expertise, which may not be available in all medical facilities.

Comparison with Other Modalities

Radionuclide ventriculography is one of several techniques used to assess cardiac function. Other modalities include:

• Echocardiography: Uses ultrasound waves to create images of the heart. It is widely available and does not involve radiation.
• Cardiac MRI: Provides detailed anatomical and functional information without radiation but is more expensive and less available.
• Cardiac CT: Offers high-resolution images and can assess coronary arteries but involves higher radiation doses.

Also see

• Nuclear medicine
• Cardiac imaging
• Heart failure
• Technetium-99m

Cardiovascular disease A-Z

Most common cardiac diseases

• Cardiac arrhythmia‎
• Cardiogenetic disorders‎
• Cardiomegaly‎
• Cardiomyopathy‎
• Cardiopulmonary resuscitation‎
• Chronic rheumatic heart diseases‎
• Congenital heart defects‎
• Heart neoplasia‎
• Ischemic heart diseases‎
• Pericardial disorders
• Syndromes affecting the heart‎
• Valvular heart disease‎

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

A

• Accelerated idioventricular rhythm
• Acute decompensated heart failure
• Arteriosclerotic heart disease
• Athletic heart syndrome
• Atrial flutter
• Atrioventricular fistula
• Cardiovascular disease in Australia
• Autoimmune heart disease

B

• Brown atrophy of the heart

C

• Ebb Cade
• Cardiac allograft vasculopathy
• Cardiac amyloidosis
• Cardiac asthma
• Cardiac tamponade
• Cardiogenic shock
• Cardiogeriatrics
• Cardiorenal syndrome
• Cardiotoxicity
• Carditis
• Coronary artery aneurysm
• Coronary artery anomaly
• Coronary artery disease
• Spontaneous coronary artery dissection
• Coronary artery ectasia
• Coronary occlusion
• Coronary steal
• Coronary thrombosis
• Coronary vasospasm
• Cœur en sabot
• Coxsackievirus-induced cardiomyopathy

D

• Duke Treadmill Score
• Duroziez's disease

E

• Eisenmenger's syndrome
• Embryocardia
• Endocardial fibroelastosis
• Eosinophilic myocarditis

H

• Heart attack
• Heart failure
• Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction
• Heart to Heart (1949 film)
• High-output heart failure
• Hyperdynamic precordium

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

I

• Idiopathic giant-cell myocarditis
• Interventricular dyssynchrony
• Intraventricular dyssynchrony
• Isolated atrial amyloidosis

K

• Keshan disease

L

• Loeffler endocarditis

M

• Mydicar
• Myocardial bridge
• Myocardial disarray
• Myocardial rupture
• Myocardial scarring
• Myocardial stunning
• Myocarditis

N

• Nonbacterial thrombotic endocarditis

O

• OLR1
• Ostial disease

P

• Papillary fibroelastoma
• Pathophysiology of heart failure
• Postpericardiotomy syndrome
• Pulmonary vein stenosis

R

• Right axis deviation
• Roemheld syndrome

S

• Saturated fat and cardiovascular disease
• SCAR-Fc
• Shone's syndrome
• Strain pattern
• Subacute bacterial endocarditis
• Sudden cardiac death of athletes

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

T

• Traumatic cardiac arrest

V

• Ventricular aneurysm
• Vibroacoustic disease
• Viral cardiomyopathy

W

• Waon therapy