Which scan is best for heart?

Hi. Are you looking forward to learning which scan is best for the heart? I am glad you came to this blog. There is a crucial thing that I have been waiting to tell you for a long; that it’s high time you see a doctor.

While some doctors prefer an MRI scan over an echocardiogram to diagnose heart conditions, some doctors rely on coronary angiograms, and some on CT scans. It means there is no one best test for the heart but many! And medical experts use them based on multiple factors!

The type of heart disease is one such factor that determines which scan is best for the heart at a particular time for a particular patient. It depends on whether the disorder is structural or functional! Whether it affects the organ or muscles! Whether it is a tumor or stress that trigger your chest pain every night, and more!

Now, to see which scan can serve you more, read more!

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)

Doctors use MRI for complex cases where other tests have given ambiguous results. No doubt, MRI or Magnetic Resonance Imaging test offers greater detail of your soft tissues than any other body scan. It can help you and the doctor to derive a clear picture of the masses, scarring, or infarction, i.e., obstruction of blood supply to the tissues. Of course, if there is any!

An MRI is considered superior to a CT scan in assessing tumors in the heart or blood vessels, congenital diseases, and infiltrative diseases of your heart. Medical experts regard this scan as the most vital technique to assess your pericardium ( or the membrane surrounding the heart) and detect its abnormality.

Cardiac MRI is the most popular method when it comes to the question of which scan is best for the heart when tracing inherited diseases or valve dysfunction. It is an advanced MRI scan that utilizes an echocardiogram to eliminate cardiac motion blurring in the picture. The scan precision helps with the quantification; of the ventricular functions or cardiovascular shunts.

Echocardiogram

When your healthcare providers seek to check the heart size, how well the heart muscle contract and relax, and how well the heart valve functions, they typically go for an echocardiogram. It is a type of ultrasound, an advanced one, that can detect plausible damage from a heart attack. Echocardiogram is often called Heart Ultrasound or Heart Sonogram, the non-invasive painless process that lay used to detect heart failure.

Echocardiogram efficiently serves in diagnosing infections in the heart valves, called endocarditis. It can detect an enlarged or thickened heart wall. It can help identify heart blockage, narrowed valves, blood clots in the heart chamber, unusual holes between the heart chambers, blood leakage back to the heart valves, etc.

Your doctor may suggest a stress echocardiogram, a transesophageal echocardiogram, or an intravascular ultrasound. While a stress echocardiogram is essential for diagnosing ischemic heart disease, a transesophageal echocardiogram is the most common type used for examining heart structure and functions in detail. Another commonly used method is a fetal echocardiogram, where doctors monitor an unborn baby’s heart.

Computer Tomography (CT) Scan

Doctors usually prescribe a heart CT scan in the case of an accident, severe chest pain, persistent cough, and breathing issues. Doctors use this scan to diagnose conditions like Pneumonia, Emphysema, or Aneurysms in your aorta. It is a quick and easy test, and therefore, the primary solution up-taken by doctors in emergencies.

During a cardiac CT scan, doctors can accurately detect calcium buildup, thereby identifying blood clots and blockages in your arteries with greater dexterity. Yes. A heart CT scan can diagnose plaque and its further complications. It can provide information on the location and extent of calcification and help your doctor plan appropriate treatment.

A CT scan also holds a significant role in planning an open or minimally-invasive heart surgery. Plans for robotic heart surgeries require a CT scan too! Besides, doctors pursue CT scans to plan transcatheter procedures that lay involved in replacing your heart valves. A CT scan lay equally crucial for planning arrhythmia ablation treatment, and so forth!

Electrocardiogram (ECG)

When your doctor wants to analyze your heart rhythm and electrical activity, they recommend a scan that we call an electrocardiogram or ECG. Frequent and persistent palpitation is one of the most common reasons why your doctor undertakes this imagining test. It is because they want to know whether you have a slow and irregular heartbeat or a quick one.

An electrocardiogram also lay used for diagnosing fat build-up in your heart or its surrounding. It can detect blocked blood supply and enlarged heart walls. Perhaps, ECG is the first heart test that your doctor is likely to prescribe after hearing your symptoms and conducting a physical examination. This scan is efficient in detecting heart attacks.

An ECG can even detect electrolyte abnormalities in your heart, such as high or low potassium or calcium levels. MRI shows whether the surrounding of your heart has extra fluids. It helps detect sinus syndrome and heart inflammation. It accurately picturizes genetic heart defects and atrial fibrillation.

Final Note from MRI Chandigarh:

Now that you know which scan is best for the heart for diagnosing a specific condition, are you ready to book an appointment with your doctor and get the scan prescribed? Undoubtedly, you cannot pursue any of the scans out of the blue without a recommendation, as each scanning process comes with a few side effects.

Also, not all tests are allowed for all types of patients! For instance, a patient with metallic implants in the body cannot undertake an MRI under any circumstance. A pregnant woman is not permissible for a CT scan because of the radiation exposure. In such cases, the other imagining tests become the best possible scan for the heart. So, the answer to your question is always subjective.

Do you want to book a Cardiac MRI in Chandigarh? If so, do not hesitate to contact us at www.mrichandigarh.com. For any doubts or queries regarding heart scans, drop your message at [email protected]. Our team of caregivers eagerly awaits to serve!