Differences Between an Echocardiogram & a Nuclear Stress Test

Echocardiograms and nuclear stress tests are procedures with which physicians examine the heart for disease or abnormalities. By taking images of the heart for examination, these tests give an accurate picture of what occurs to a patient's heart while exerted (or stressed) and while at rest. While both tests achieve similar goals, they have their own special applications and methods.

Methods

• An echocardiogram creates an image by bouncing sound waves off the heart. A transducer picks up the reflecting sound waves and uses them to create an image of the heart. A nuclear test, on the other hand, involves injecting radioactive dye into the bloodstream so that it works its way into the heart. A sensor detects the dye and creates an image from it.

Preparation

• Since a nuclear stress test involves an injection in the bloodstream, eating, drinking and smoking can affect results. Sometimes it is necessary to refrain from these activities before a nuclear test. An echocardiogram, being non-invasive, requires no special preparation before the exam.

Risks

• Echocardiograms involve no special risks. A nuclear stress test can invoke allergies from the radioactive dye. In rare cases, a nuclear test can also cause a heart attack. In either case, stress tests that involve strong exercise to induce a stressed state for the heart may create shortness of breath or low blood pressure.

Uses

• Echocardiograms, basing their images off sonar waves, evaluate a moving heart and serve to illuminate irregularities in the heart chambers and valves. A nuclear test aids in detecting blockages in blood flow by determining where the injected dye cannot reach.