What is a 'stress thallium test'?

What is a 'stress thallium test'?

Hossein Jadvar (Doctor) gives expert video advice on: How can I prepare for a cardiac nuclear medicine test? and more...

People usually call it a stress thallium test, because previously thallium was one of the most common tracers used, but basically it refers to the procedure of doing a cardiac profusion imaging study, and in that, we normally have a patient imaged after or during a type of cardiac stress. Most commonly, it's when a patient runs on a treadmill or on a bicycle ergo meter, but it can also be done pharmacologically, and not necessarily through some sort of a dynamic exercise. That's the stress portion of it and the thallium really refers in general to the tracer that is administered. It could be cystamibi or tretramospine or thallium and that's basically what is within that term of stress thallium.