Nuclear Stress Test

A nuclear stress test is often administered twice – once while you are at rest, and again as you exercise on a treadmill. This allows the doctors to take pictures of the heart both while it is resting and under exertion. The two sets of images are then compared to determine the status of blood flow through the heart and surrounding coronary arteries. Another type of specialized nuclear stress test called a MUGA (multigated acquisition scan) is sometimes used to evaluate the pumping function of the ventricles, your heart’s lower chambers.