Our cardiac services
Our cardiac services
Cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of death among men and women in New Zealand. But increasingly accurate testing and non-invasive interventions can lead to better quality of life and increased life expectancy.
At I-MED Radiology we have sub-specialist cardiac radiologists, nuclear medicine physicians and cardiologists working in a network that makes sharing or second opinions easy. And you can be sure your patients will be treated with warmth and compassion by our understanding staff.
Our comprehensive range of cardiac imaging services for your patients include chest x-ray, echocardiography, myocardial perfusion imaging, CT coronary angiography, coronary artery calcium scoring and cardiac MRI.
Coronary artery calcium scoring
Coronary artery calcium scoring is a technique which measures the amount of calcium in the coronary arteries using ECG-gated non-contrast computed tomography (CT) scan of the heart.
A calcium score provides a quantitative assessment of calcified atheroma burden, helping to risk stratify asymptomatic patients. This can help guide statin therapy and allow provision of advice regarding coronary risk modification.
Myocardial perfusion scan
Nuclear medicine myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI or sometimes called MIBI after the tracer) uses a radioactive tracer to assess myocardial blood flow at rest and at peak exercise.
MPI determines if the arteries supplying the heart muscle are patent, partially or completely blocked.
CT Coronary angiography (CTCA)
Computed tomography coronary angiography (CTCA) is a fast, non-invasive procedure that allows visualisation of the heart and coronary arteries, plus other structures within and around the heart.
CTCA can identify the site and severity of coronary lesions and is commonly used to assess symptomatic patients with suspected coronary artery disease.
Chest x-ray
In community practice, for patients presenting with chest pain and/or dyspnoea, a chest X-ray is a very useful initial study, allowing for the assessment of causes such as pneumothorax, suspected cardiac failure and pneumonia. Heart size and contour, pulmonary, hilar and mediastinal masses may also be visible or suspected.
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Cardiac MRI
Cardiac MRI provides specific advantages over other cardiac imaging modalities when evaluating pathology in congenital heart disease, cardiac masses, cardiomyopathies, and in some aspects of ischaemic and valvular heart diseases. The strength of cardiac MRI in these pathologies includes its precise anatomical delineation of structures, characterisation of myocardial tissue, and accurate, reproducible measurements of blood volume and flow.