Diseases

Heart Disease, Testing For (Coronary Artery Disease Screening Tests (CAD)) Information

Conclusions

For the purpose of screening for coronary heart disease, each person should discuss their particular coronary heart disease "risk factor profile" with the doctor in order to decide if screening tests are indicated and which test is most appropriate. The doctor will have detailed information regarding what testing involves and the implications of the results for each individual.

Coronary angiography

During a coronary angiogram (also termed a coronary catheterization), a small catheter (a thin hollow tube with a diameter of 2-3 mm) is inserted through the skin into an artery usually in either the groin or the arm. Guided with the assistance of a fluoroscope (a special X-ray viewing instrument), the catheter is then advanced to the opening of the coronary arteries, the blood vessels supplying blood to the heart. Next, a small amount of radiographic contrast (a solution containing iodine, which is easily visualized with X-ray images) is injected into each coronary artery. The images that are produced are called the angiogram. Angiographic images accurately reveal the extent and severity of all coronary arterial blockages. Coronary angiography is performed with the use of local anesthesia and intravenous sedation, and is generally not terribly uncomfortable. The procedure takes approximately 20 to 30 minutes. After the procedure, the catheter is removed and the artery in the leg or arm is sutured, "sealed," or treated with manual compression to prevent bleeding. There is a small risk of serious complications from coronary angiography, as it is an "invasive" test, but in the hands of experienced physicians, this risk is quite small (well below one per cent). In appropriate patients, the therapeutic information learned from the angiogram is far more valuable than the relatively small risk of the procedure. For patients with severe angina or heart attack (myocardial infarction), or those who have markedly abnormal noninvasive tests for coronary heart disease, the angiogram also helps the doctor select the optimal treatment, which may include medications, balloon angioplasty, coronary stent placement, or coronary bypass surgery. The coronary angiogram is the only test which allows the precise quantification of the extent and severity of coronary heart disease to optimally make these treatment decisions. Picture of a coronary balloon angiogram

Exercise cardiac stress test (treadmill stress test or ECST)

Exercise cardiac stress testing (ECST) is the most widely used cardiac stress test. The patient exercises on a treadmill according to a standardized protocol, with progressive increases in the speed and elevation of the treadmill (typically changing at three minute intervals). During the ECST, the patient's electrocardiogram (EKG), heart rate, heart rhythm, and blood pressure are continuously monitored. If a coronary arterial blockage results in decreased blood flow to a part of the heart during exercise, certain changes (for example, ST segment depressions) may be observed in the EKG, as well as in the response of the heart rate and blood pressure. The accuracy of the ECST in predicting significant coronary heart disease is variable, depending in part on the "pre-test likelihood" of coronary heart disease (also known as Bayes' theorem). In a person at high risk for coronary heart disease (for example, advanced age, multiple coronary risk factors), an abnormal ECST is very predictive of the presence of coronary heart disease (over 90% accurate). However, a relatively normal ECST may not reflect the absence of significant disease in a person with the same risk factors. Conversely, in a person with a low-risk, a normal ECST is very predictive of the absence of significant coronary heart disease (over 90% accurate), but an abnormal test may not reflect the true presence of coronary heart disease (so-called "false-positive ECST"). The ECST may either miss the presence of significant coronary heart disease, or be a false-positive test, due to a variety of cardiac circumstances, which may include:

1. An abnormal EKG at rest, which may be due to abnormal serum electrolytes, abnormal cardiac electrical conduction, or certain medications, such as digitalis;
2. Heart conditions not related to coronary heart disease, such as mitral valve prolapse or hypertrophy (increased size) of the heart; or
3. An inadequate increase in the heart rate and/or blood pressure during exercise.

Pharmacologic stress test

During a pharmacologic stress test, certain medications are administered which stimulate the heart to mimic the physiologic effects of exercise. One of these medications is dobutamine, which is similar to adrenaline. Dobutamine is carefully administered to gradually increase the heart rate and strength of the contractions of the heart muscle. Simultaneously, echocardiography or radionuclide imaging is performed. Alternatively, a medicine called adenosine is administered, which simulates the physiology of the coronary artery circulation during exercise. Adenosine is combined with radionuclide isotope imaging to provide a very accurate test for the detection of significant coronary heart disease. A newer agent, regadenoson (Lexiscan), is often used as it seems to be better tolerated. Pharmacological stress testing is commonly performed in individuals who are thought to be at high risk for significant coronary heart disease and who are scheduled for major non-cardiac surgical procedures. These people often are unable to perform exercise stress testing due to the underlying condition for which they require surgery. In this setting, pharmacological stress testing is invaluable in assessing the cardiac risk of patients prior to surgery.

Radionuclide stress test

Radionuclide stress testing involves injecting a radioactive isotope (typically thallium or cardiolite) into the patient's vein after which an image of the patient's heart becomes visible with a special camera. The radioactive isotopes are absorbed by the normal heart muscle. Nuclear images are obtained in the resting condition, and again immediately following exercise. The two sets of images are then compared. During exercise, if a blockage in a coronary artery results in diminished blood flow to a part of the cardiac muscle, this region of the heart will appear as a relative "cold spot" on the nuclear scan. This cold spot is not visible on the images that are taken while the patient is at rest (when coronary flow is adequate). Radionuclide stress testing, while more time-consuming and expensive than a simple ECST, greatly enhances the accuracy in diagnosing coronary heart disease.

Stress echocardiography

Another supplement to the routine ECST is stress echocardiography. During stress echocardiography, the sound waves of ultrasound are used to produce images of the heart at rest and at the peak of exercise. In a heart with normal blood supply, all segments of the left ventricle (the major pumping chamber of the heart) exhibit enhanced contractions of the heart muscle during peak exercise. Conversely, in the setting of coronary heart disease, if a segment of the left ventricle does not receive optimal blood flow during exercise, that segment will demonstrate reduced contractions of heart muscle relative to the rest of the heart on the exercise echocardiogram. Stress echocardiography is very useful in enhancing the interpretation of the ECST, and can be used to exclude the presence of significant coronary heart disease in patients suspected of having a "false-positive" ECST. What if a person is unable to exercise adequately for an exercise cardiac stress test? Many people are unable to exercise maximally for stress testing due to a variety of conditions including arthritis, severe lung disease, severe cardiac disease, orthopedic conditions, and diseases of the nervous system. In such individuals, pharmacological stress testing is often used.