A thallium scan injects a small amount of radioactive substance into a patient’s vein to create images of the heart or brain to determine if they are getting enough blood. It is often combined with a stress test to determine how well the heart works under stress. The test helps doctors pinpoint people at risk of heart attack and other heart problems. Pregnant women should inform their doctor before undergoing the test.
A thallium scan involves injecting a very small amount of radioactive thallium into the vein of the patient being tested. The amount used is so small that it does not produce a harmful amount of radiation for the patient. Although radiation is not harmful to an adult, a pregnant woman should inform her doctor before undergoing this test to ensure the safety of the fetus. As the test progresses, monitors are used to follow the radioactive thallium as it travels through the bloodstream.
During a thallium scan, a small amount of radioactive substance is used to create images of a particular area of the body. This test is typically used to examine the heart or brain and determine if these areas are getting enough blood. The thallium scan is often combined with a stress test to determine how well the heart works under stress.
The thallium scan is often combined with an exercise test. In this type of test, the initial thallium injection is given while the patient walks on a treadmill. Another injection is given at another time when the heart is at rest. By comparing the two sets of results, a doctor can determine whether certain areas of the heart are getting an inadequate blood supply at rest or after exercise.
At the beginning of the test, the patient begins by exercising on the treadmill for several minutes. His heart rate and blood pressure are monitored all the time. About a minute before he stops exercising, thallium is injected into a vein. During the remaining minute of the exercise portion of the test, radioactive thallium travels through the bloodstream and reaches the heart. Once thallium enters the heart, it accumulates in places that have an adequate blood supply.
At the end of the exercise period, the patient is immediately scanned using an imaging camera, so that the location of the radioactive thallium can be pinpointed. Areas of the heart that have accumulated thallium are thought to have good access to the blood supply. Any area of the heart that has less, or none, thallium has a limited blood supply.
The thallium scan then locates areas of the heart that do not have an adequate supply of blood and oxygen. In people who have had a heart attack, it is common for certain areas of the heart to have sustained damage that reduces blood flow both at rest and during exercise. People at risk of heart attack often only show signs of reduced thallium accumulation after exercise. The test then helps doctors pinpoint people at risk of heart attack and other heart problems.
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