Nuclear ventriculography

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Heart, front view

MUGA test

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.

Cardiac blood pooling imaging; Heart scan - nuclear; Radionuclide ventriculography (RNV); Multiple gate acquisition scan (MUGA); Nuclear cardiology

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.

Special cameras or scanners trace the substance as it moves through the heart area. In other words, the red blood cells inside the heart that carry the radioactive material form an image that the camera sees. The images may be combined with an electrocardiogram. Using computer software, the images are made to appear as if the heart is moving.

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You may be told not to eat or drink beverages for several hours before the test.

You may feel a brief sting or pinch when the IV is inserted into your vein, usually in the arm. You may have trouble staying still during the test.

The test will show how well the blood is pumping through different parts of the heart.

Review Date: 05/22/2010
Reviewed By: Issam Mikati, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine, Feinberg School of Medicine, Director, Northwestern Clinic Echocardiography Lab, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org).