Arlyss
Well-known member
The purpose of this testing is to examine the coronary arteries of the heart, looking for blockages that might prevent heart muscle from getting a full, free flow of blood.
In 2001, my husband had the chemical test - less invasive than an angiogram - prior to his surgery to remove his ascending aortic aneurysm. This is a nuclear medicine test.
By 2006, the 64 slice CT had appeared on the scene. This machine is so fast, it can image the coronaries on a beating heart. This is what my husband had prior to his redo valve surgery.
In both cases, his coronaries were clean - but it was important to know so a bypass could be planned for if needed. The 64 slicer also showed a small amount of calcification on his mitral, which was "scraped off" during surgery.
There is a brief video clip by Jerry Friede about 64 slice CT if you scroll down the page on this link. http://www.bicuspidfoundation.com This imaging center was one of the first in the country to offer 64 slice CT and has a lot of experience interpreting the results.
Imaging of the heart and blood vessels in the chest is one area that is advancing quite quickly - CT and MRI have come a long way just in the 7 years we have been involved with it.
I should add that in 1990, he had an angiogram prior to the replacement of his BAV, again for the same reason. No one told us about any nuclear imaging option then. He felt the affects from that angio in his groin when he walked, long after he was fully recovered from the heart surgery itself. I am not sure what they affected there, but it bothered him for a long time.
His coronaries, like most bicuspids, have always been clean. There are some bicuspids who have coronary artery disease also, but they are in the minority of those with BAVS.
Best wishes,
Arlyss
In 2001, my husband had the chemical test - less invasive than an angiogram - prior to his surgery to remove his ascending aortic aneurysm. This is a nuclear medicine test.
By 2006, the 64 slice CT had appeared on the scene. This machine is so fast, it can image the coronaries on a beating heart. This is what my husband had prior to his redo valve surgery.
In both cases, his coronaries were clean - but it was important to know so a bypass could be planned for if needed. The 64 slicer also showed a small amount of calcification on his mitral, which was "scraped off" during surgery.
There is a brief video clip by Jerry Friede about 64 slice CT if you scroll down the page on this link. http://www.bicuspidfoundation.com This imaging center was one of the first in the country to offer 64 slice CT and has a lot of experience interpreting the results.
Imaging of the heart and blood vessels in the chest is one area that is advancing quite quickly - CT and MRI have come a long way just in the 7 years we have been involved with it.
I should add that in 1990, he had an angiogram prior to the replacement of his BAV, again for the same reason. No one told us about any nuclear imaging option then. He felt the affects from that angio in his groin when he walked, long after he was fully recovered from the heart surgery itself. I am not sure what they affected there, but it bothered him for a long time.
His coronaries, like most bicuspids, have always been clean. There are some bicuspids who have coronary artery disease also, but they are in the minority of those with BAVS.
Best wishes,
Arlyss
