Nuclear Cardiology

Training in high-volume hospital clinics, you’ll come to understand the principles of noninvasive testing, including pre- and post-test probability.

During this rotation, we’ll teach you how to select the best test for specific cardiac concerns. Over the course of training, you’ll understand the indications and contraindications for nuclear testing and its alternatives.

You’ll also learn:

  • basic principles of radiation safety and radiopharmaceutical handling and dosing
  • how to perform exercise and pharmacologic stress testing
  • how to interpret ECGs and Duke Treadmill scores
  • nuclear imaging protocols (including stress-only myocardial perfusion imaging)
  • basic principles of image acquisition, processing, artifacts and quality control
  • image interpretation and reporting

You’ll gain proficiency in:

  • myocardial perfusion imaging (for evaluating patients with chest pain or a suspected anginal equivalent)
  • MUGA scans
  • thallium viability studies

Caseload

Throughout your rotations, you’ll perform and interpret:

  • 300 nuclear stress tests
  • approximately 15-20 thallium viability studies
  • approximately 25-30 MUGA scans

Length and Years of Rotation

  • 2 four-week modules in year 1
  • 1 four-week module in year 2
  • 1 four-week module in year 3

Patient Population

  • predominantly inpatients

Clinical Sites