ABSTRACT
‘Stress testing’ is cardiac imaging while the heart is placed under physiological stress either by exercise, as with the conventional stress test with electrocardiography monitoring, or by pharmaceutical challenge using drugs such as dobutamine or adenosine. Plain radiography of the chest remains an initial investigation for many patients with potential cardiac problems, as it is readily available and gives a low radiation dose. Echocardiography offers detail of the cardiac structure including the state of the valves, and functional information such as cardiac muscle contractility. Computed Tomography (CT) has become a fundamental tool in cardiac imaging. Minimum equipment requirements for cardiac CT are a 64-slice scanner with appropriate cardiac imaging software, including facility for cardiac gating. CT coronary angiography data can also be used to assess functional cardiac parameters including left and right ventricular end-diastolic and end-systolic volumes, stroke volume and ejection fraction, with accuracy comparable to magnetic resonance imaging and echocardiography.
