Diagnostic Procedures
Using state-of-the-art equipment, St. Mary’s Heart Center provides a broad range of diagnostic testing procedures. Click on the following for more information.
Ambulatory Electrocardiography
Ambulatory electrocardiography monitors the electrical activity of your heart while you go about your usual daily activities. The types of ambulatory monitoring are Holter Monitoring and Cardiac Event Monitoring.
Cardiac Catheterization
Cardiac catheterization is a test to evaluate your heart and coronary arteries. During a cardiac catheterization, a dye (contrast material) is injected into the coronary arteries to trace the movement of blood through the arteries. The portion of the test involving the injection of contrast material and the tracing of blood is called coronary angiography. Click here for more information.
Computerized Tomography (CT)
Computerized tomography, also known as CT or CAT scanning, uses a special machine to obtain multiple x-ray images of any part of the body. The images are much more detailed than those provided by conventional x-rays. In addition, CT can display many different types of tissue including blood vessels. Modern scanners use a technique called spiral or helical CT to obtain images from many angles. Computerized processing of these images creates cross-sections, or slices, of the area of interest. The images can then be examined on a computer monitor or printed out. click here. for more information.
64-slice Volume Computed Tomography (VCT) Imaging System
St. Mary’s Medical Center and St. Mary's Jefferson Memorial Hospital have the 64-slice CT VCT that greatly improves the information doctors need to treat life-threatening illnesses such as stroke and chest pain. Click here for more information on this break-through technology.
Echocardiography
Echocardiography (echo or echocardiogram) is a type of ultrasound test that uses high-pitched sound waves to produce an image of the heart. The sound waves are sent through a device called a transducer and are reflected off the various structures of the heart. These echoes are converted into pictures of the heart that can be seen on a video monitor.
Electrocardiography
Electrocardiography (EKG, ECG) is a test that measures the electrical signals that control the rhythm of your heartbeat. The graph that shows the results is called an electrocardiogram. Click here for more information.
Electrophysciology
With this test, the doctor is studying the electrical function of your heart. Arrhythmias can be very dangerous and, sometimes, life threatening. While most arrhythmias are treatable, the treatment will be based on the cause. “Electrophysiology” is composed of two words - electro, means electrical, and the second part of the word, physiology, means function. When the electrical conduction system in the heart is changed, an abnormal heart rhythm - called arrhythmias - can develop. Often the aging process or a previous heart attack is the cause, but arrhythmias can also occur in young, healthy people.
Transesophogeal Echocardiography (TEE)
The transducer is passed down the esophagus instead of being moved over the outside of the chest wall. TEE shows clearer pictures of your heart, because the transducer is located closer to the heart and because the lungs and bones of the chest wall do not interfere with the sound waves produced by the transducer. This test requires a sedative and an anesthetic applied to the throat to ease discomfort.
Cardiac Perfusion Scan/Stress Testing
This test estimates the amount of blood reaching the heart muscle during rest and exercise. It is typically done to determine the cause of unexplained chest pain or to determine the location and amount of injured heart muscle after a heart attack.
Position Emission Tomography (PET)
PET (or positron emission tomography) is a medical imaging tool which assists physicians in detecting disease. Simply stated, PET scans produce digital pictures that can, in many cases, identify many forms of cancer, damaged heart tissue, and brain disorders such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and epilepsy. Technically, PET is a medical imaging technology that images the biology of disorders at the molecular level before anatomical changes are visible. For more detailed information, click here.
St. Mary’s Medical Center is now performing stress testing using non-invasive PET myocardial perfusion to help investigate coronary artery disease (CAD) in people who might be overweight, women with dense breasts and patients with other, inconclusive cardiac studies. Click here for more information.
3-Tesla Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
Provides double the magnetic field strenghth and faster scanning than other MRIs. The 3-tesla is the highest common field strength used in human brain imaging and uses the strongest magnetic field strength approved by the FDA for clinical scans.
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