Cardiovascular Diagnosis & Imaging
The first step toward a healthy heart is to determine the type and extent of cardiovascular disease. Merit Health Rankin provides heart care, utilizing advanced diagnostic equipment. Experienced clinical cardiologists use a wide range of cardiac procedures to diagnose heart disease, including:
- Electrophysiology studies, electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG) and transesophogeal echocardiogram (TEE) measure the heart's electrical activity and identify muscle damage that can cause heart disease. Portable devices such as a Holter monitor or event recorder measure a patient’s heart activity throughout the day, over an extended period of time.
- Nuclear medicine scans such as positron emission tomography (PET), PET/CT scans or thallium or myocardial perfusion scans utilize a small dose of radioactive material to reveal the structure and blood flow within the heart.
- Non-invasive imaging technologies including magnetic resonance angiography (MRA), computed tomography angiography (CTA), X-ray and echocardiograms provide images of the heart muscle, valves, veins and arteries.