Cardiology and Cardiovascular Diseases

Diagnostic tests in cardiology

In addition to performing a physical examination, your doctor will inquire about your personal and family medical history.

Heart disease is diagnosed using a variety of tests. A chest X-ray and blood tests are not the only ways to diagnose heart disease.

• Electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG). The electrical signals in the heart are captured by an ECG, which is a rapid and painless examination. If the heart is beating too quickly or too slowly, it can detect this.
• Holter surveillance. A portable ECG device called a Holter monitor is worn for a day or longer to record the heart's activity during normal activities. This examination can find abnormal heartbeats that are missed by a standard ECG.
• Echocardiogram. In this non-invasive examination, sound waves are used to provide precise photographs of the beating heart. It demonstrates how the heart's valves and blood flow through the heart. If a valve is constricted or leaking, an echocardiography might assist identify it.
• Stress testing or exercise tests. These tests frequently entail using a treadmill or a stationary cycle while the heart rate is being tracked. Exercise tests can assist determine how the heart responds to exercise and whether exercising causes heart disease symptoms. You can be prescribed drugs if you are unable to exercise.
• Catheterization of the heart. This examination can reveal cardiac artery obstructions. The heart is reached by inserting a long, thin, flexible tube (catheter) into a blood artery, typically in the groin or wrist. To reach the heart's arteries, dye passes through the catheter. During the exam, the dye makes the arteries more visible on X-ray images.
• Cardiothoracic CT scan. You recline on a table within a doughnut-shaped machine for a heart CT scan. The machine's internal X-ray tube spins around your body while taking pictures of your chest and heart.
• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the heart. A magnetic field and radio waves produced by a computer are used in a cardiac MRI to produce precise images of the heart.