Heart imaging - is it helping or hurting your health?

Technological advances have made medical imaging an invaluable tool for noninvasive diagnosis of cardiovascular disease. Tests such as cardiac computed tomography (CT) and nuclear stress tests use ionizing radiation to produce highly detailed images of the heart and arteries. These heart-imaging studies prolong lives, especially in the roles they play assessing heart attack risk or diagnosing coronary heart disease. But experts have expressed concerns about the potential cancer risks from the radiation required to perform them.
Other cardiac screenings, including electrocardiogram (ECG, EKG) and echocardiogram—which don’t use ionizing radiation—have also come under fire lately, but for different reasons.
Experts say that too many people who don’t need the tests are undergoing them as part of routine risk assessments. While these procedures don’t cause physical harm, their overuse can still have a negative impact on patients. Tests such as these, and others like them, have a low but definite percentage of false-postives results—suggesting a problem when there really isn’t one—which cause patient anxiety and lead to further unnecessary testing.
Minimizing risks
Before ordering a heart test, your doctor will consider several factors, including the test’s diagnostic accuracy, image quality, availability, comfort and cost. Your doctor should counsel you on the benefits and risks of the test he or she recommends. Be prepared to ask questions about the test so you can make an informed decision about your options.
Here are some questions
to ask:
1. What are the consequences of not getting the test? Ask if skipping the test might result in a missed or delayed diagnosis and if it could affect your ultimate outcome.
2. Are there other tests that can be used to obtain the information without using ionizing radiation? If a comparable test that doesn’t use radiation, such as echocardiogram or cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), can provide the same clinical information, it may be preferred.
3. Have you reviewed my radiation exposure history? Your doctor should check your medical records for past exposure, especially if you’ve had frequent imaging tests or changed healthcare providers.
If you’re still uncertain about the benefits and risks of a test, the AHA recommends that you and your doctor consult with an imaging specialist.
Source: Health After 50

 

Heart imaging - is it helping or hurting your health?

Technological advances have made medical imaging an invaluable tool for noninvasive diagnosis of cardiovascular disease. Tests such as cardiac computed tomography (CT) and nuclear stress tests use ionizing radiation to produce highly detailed images of the heart and arteries. These heart-imaging studies prolong lives, especially in the roles they play assessing heart attack risk or diagnosing coronary heart disease. But experts have expressed concerns about the potential cancer risks from the radiation required to perform them. Other cardiac screenings, including electrocardiogram (ECG, EKG) and echocardiogramwhich dont use ionizing radiationhave also come under fire lately, but for different reasons. Experts say that too many people who dont need the tests are undergoing them as part of routine risk assessments. While these procedures dont cause physical harm, their overuse can still have a negative impact on patients. Tests such as these, and others like them, have a low but definite percentage of false-postives resultssuggesting a problem when there really isnt onewhich cause patient anxiety and lead to further unnecessary testing. Minimizing risks Before ordering a heart test, your doctor will consider several factors, including the tests diagnostic accuracy, image quality, availability, comfort and cost. Your doctor should counsel you on the benefits and risks of the test he or she recommends. Be prepared to ask questions about the test so you can make an informed decision about your options. Here are some questions to ask: 1. What are the consequences of not getting the test? Ask if skipping the test might result in a missed or delayed diagnosis and if it could affect your ultimate outcome. 2. Are there other tests that can be used to obtain the information without using ionizing radiation? If a comparable test that doesnt use radiation, such as echocardiogram or cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), can provide the same clinical information, it may be preferred. 3. Have you reviewed my radiation exposure history? Your doctor should check your medical records for past exposure, especially if youve had frequent imaging tests or changed healthcare providers. If youre still uncertain about the benefits and risks of a test, the AHA recommends that you and your doctor consult with an imaging specialist. Source: Health After 50