Woman exercisingWoman and man exercisingCardiologist performing cardiac imaging test on patient

Heart conditions we diagnose and treat

Your imaging cardiologist uses cutting-edge imaging techniques such as ultrasound (echocardiogram), computed tomography (CT), nuclear, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). We use these imaging techniques to screen for heart disease and to determine the cause of your symptoms, and later to monitor your heart to ensure your personalized treatment is working.

We can evaluate basic and complex cardiac diseases with cardiac imaging, including:

Congenital heart disease

Structural heart disease

  • Native valve disease (aortic, mitral, pulmonic and tricuspid).
  • Bio-prosthetic and mechanical valve disease.
  • Ventricular septal defects (VSD), atrial septal defects (ASD) and patent foramen ovale (PFO).
  • Coronary anomalies.
  • Aortic aneurysms.
  • Native and grafted coronary artery disease.

Cardiomyopathy

  • Ischemic (from a heart attack).
  • Infiltrative: sarcoidosis, amyloidosis and hemochromatosis.
  • Hypertrophic (from thickened heart muscle).
  • Inflammatory: myocarditis and pericarditis.
  • Genetic. Anderson-Fabry’s, Dannon’s and non-compaction.

We can also use cardiac imaging for pre-procedural planning and guidance of structural heart disease treatment.

Cardiac imaging procedures

Echocardiograms (EKG)

Transthoracic echocardiography

Uses ultrasound waves to create images of the heart. It is the most commonly used imaging tool for diagnosing heart problems because it gives non-invasive imaging of the heart and its blood flow.

3D transesophageal echocardiography

Is a more invasive form of cardiac ultrasound that allows for specialized imaging and guidance during structural heart procedures.

CT Scans

Coronary computed tomography angiography

(CCTA) allows cardiologists to diagnose coronary artery disease non-invasively without anesthesia.

Coronary CT calcium scan

Assesses the severity of coronary artery disease and the risk of a heart attack. This severity can be presented as a Coronary Artery Calcium (CAC) score.

MRI scans

Cardiac MRI (CMR)

Allows for high-quality assessment of cardiac size and function, and can aid in the determination of certain tissue characteristics in the heart muscle.

Nuclear medicine imaging

Single photon emission computed tomography

(SPECT) is most commonly used for myocardial perfusion imaging to detect ischemic heart disease.

Team treatment to help you

Our cardiac imaging specialists will use the right technology to help diagnose and treat your unique heart condition.

References

National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI): National Library of Medicine. Cardiac Imaging – https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK448128/

American Heart Association Journal. Introduction to Noninvasive Cardiac Imaging – https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/full/10.1161/circulationaha.110.017665