Nuclear ventriculography is a test that uses radioactive materials called tracers to show the heart chambers. The procedure is noninvasive. The instruments DO NOT directly touch the heart.
Alternative Names
Cardiac blood pooling imaging; Heart scan - nuclear; Radionuclide ventriculography (RNV); Multiple gate acquisition scan (MUGA); Nuclear cardiology; Cardiomyopathy - nuclear ventriculography
How the Test is Performed
The test is done while you are resting.
The health care provider will inject a radioactive material called technetium into your vein. This substance attaches to red blood cells and passes through the heart.
The red blood cells inside the heart that carry the material form an image that a special camera can pick up. These scanners trace the substance as it moves through the heart area. The camera is timed with an electrocardiogram. A computer then processes the images to make it appear as if the heart is moving.