I do believe there are different types of ct angio. There is the calcium score but there is another type too which I believe is more specific to looking at arteries. I had a failed triple bypass which the Doctors didn't believe at first. However, they agreed to perform another gold standard Angiogram. They could see one of the grafts, but not the other two. If there is no blood in a vessel during an angiogram, the vessel is invisible which can be a drawback and requiring a different test.
s nothing wrong with the blood supply (no aneurysms, malformations, etc.). However, the gold standard in evaluating the blood supply of the brain is through 4 vessel angiogram which is an invasive procedure. It will all depend on what your doctor is considering, and he or she will be contented with the accuracy of the MRA. Regards and God bless.
Nuke stress is like, the gold standard for determining myocardial viability, so yes it can be useful in determining how likely the heart is to heal.
Having a clear angiogram doesnt help make the case for getting one though. Its most helpful for people who have untreated occlusions to decide weather or not we wanna do any work.
Well unfortunately, there are no suitable alternatives. An angiogram is the "gold standard" to find if there are blockages in the arteries. A MRI or 64CT / PET scan can clearly show how much of heart muscle or "myocardium" is still viable following a heart attack, of course it does show occluded arteries, if there is significant blockage. If you have / dont have blockages, the aforementioned tests may prove simply prove inconclusiv.
absolutely he should go for an angiogram, there is no doubt about it. The Cardiologist needs to know which arteries are affected, and by how much. Angiogram is the gold standard. If you don't have an angiogram, you will be guessing that everything will be fine, and hoping he doesn't have a heart attack and die.
You could have a stress echo which will see any abnormal wall motion when the heart is working hard. However, the gold standard is still the angiogram. You do know that smoking is continually damaging your arteries? You've probably been told this a million times, but if you are concerned about your heart, you would stop.
Personally I would have the gold standard Angiogram with catheter simply because they can usually fix the problem during the same procedure if the disease isn't too severe. If this is heart disease, I can't emphasise enough how the smoking will harm you and make it worse. If you stop smoking, after just a few hours your blood oxygen will start to rise gradually and you will feel a huge benefit after 24-48 hours. A friend of mine has heart disease and smokes.
I'm curious, how was his heart artery blockage diagnosed? Did he have a stress test, or angiogram? I'm guessing that a recent blood test showed evidence of a recent heart attack, but that's just a guess.
I'd question the doctor why your father isn't having an angiogram, it's the gold standard to determine if there is a blockage. Given the fact that your father isn't active, I'd think a once a week blood test would be very intrusive.
I agree with Encepholomalcia, an angiogram is the gold standard to determine blockages, etc. However, insurance companies often require less invasive procedures precede the angiogram. I've had nuclear stress tests and they have been extremely accurate, and it's not an invasive procedure. I think the word 'nuclear' scares most of us, but it's very safe.
Heart attacks are very often silent, with no symptoms. That being said, ECG tests are often wrong.
Coronary angiogram is the gold standard for the diagnosis of coronary artery disease. The other tests were false positive. A common finding associated with those very non-specific tests. Your chest pain doesn't sound to be cardiac in origin and there is nothing about you that makes me suspicious for coronary artery disease as the cause of your atypical chest pain. The pain you are describing is probably musculoskeletal in origin.
Ed34's suggestion is spot on. An angiogram is the 'gold standard' to determine if a blockage exists, and if it can be fixed with a stent, or if bypass surgery is necessary, or if collateral arteries are developing naturally to 'light up' the area of the heart.
It will be interesting to hear what the angiogram finds, especially if his EF factor remains in the normal area.
You are very fortunate, you are going to have the gold standard of procedures that has the capacity to save your life. Like Ed, I've had many of them. The drive to the hospital tomorrow carries a bigger risk of death than the procedure. You will be completely relaxed going in for the procedure, be ready for a cold room, but usually they will give you warm blankets.
I hope you post the results of the procedure. Keep us informed.
If you get throat discomfort on exertion this is a classic form of angina due to ischemia. The easy test is to stand still when the discomfort begins. It will usually disappear very quickly, within 2 minutes. Mine goes after just 20 seconds. The medication you are on, statins and Aspirin are not going to make the problem go away, they are to help prevent the blockage getting worse or clots forming in the artery.
My cardiologist said the angiogram is the "gold standard" for checking for blockage. I've been through two myself, no big deal.
I too have problems "passing" a nuclear stress test, but the last one I had a few months back went fine.
Usually the next step is a stress test, unless that has been done, then you would have an angiogram which is the gold standard. EKG's are a an 8 second view of your heart while it is beating away. Unless it is read by a Cardiologist, it isn't always very accurate.
If you do in fact have an anteroseptal wall ischemia, there are degrees of severity, in my opinion. Keep in mind, I'm not a health professional,but have had a lot of angiograms and problems.
Thanks,
Jon
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