Diagnostic Tests for Angina
Diagnostic Test list for Angina:
The list of diagnostic tests
mentioned in various sources as
used in the diagnosis of Angina
includes:
- Physical examination - not really helpful, except during an attack of angina.
- Look for possible causes of angina including skin and scleral pallor of anemia, murmur of aortic stenosis , arrhythmias
- Blood tests - Full blood count looking for anemia which may cause angina.
- Cardiac enzymes and troponin - to rule out heart attack.
- ECG - may be normal or show evidence of lack of blood flow to a certain area of the heart or show evidence of a previous heart attack.
- Exercise ECG - should be performed if the diagnosis is in doubt. A normal exercise ECG does not rule out coronary artery disease.
- Chest X-Ray - to detect enlargement of the heart due to previous heart disease or hypertension.
- Exercise Thallium 201 scan - expensive test but useful in diagnosing both heart attack (heart muscle death) and angina (lack of blood flow to heart muscle).
- Ambulatory Holter monitoring - may be useful in some people if suspect a heart arrhythmia or to detect angina.
- Coronary angiography - should be undertaken if the condition deteriorates. This test accurately outlines the extent and severity of coronary artery disease.
- X-rays
- Electrocardiogram (ECG) at rest
- Stress test
- Coronary arteriogram
- Nuclear stress test
- Holter monitor - records heart rhythms; useful to diagnose variant angina.
- Cardiac catheterization
Home Diagnostic Testing
These home medical tests may be relevant to Angina causes:
- High Blood Pressure: Home Testing
- Heart Health: Home Testing:
- Home Andropause Tests
- Prostate Health: Home Testing:
Tests and diagnosis discussion for Angina:
Usually the doctor can diagnose angina by noting the symptoms and how they
arise. However one or more diagnostic tests may be needed to exclude angina or
to establish the severity of the underlying coronary disease. These include the
electrocardiogram (ECG) at rest, the stress test, and x- rays of the coronary
arteries (coronary "arteriogram" or "angiogram").
The ECG records electrical impulses of the heart. These may indicate that the
heart muscle is not getting as much oxygen as it needs ("ischemia"); they may
also indicate abnormalities in heart rhythm or some of the other possible
abnormal features of the heart. To record the ECG, a technician positions a
number of small contacts on the patient's arms, legs, and across the chest to
connect them to an ECG machine.
For many patients with angina, the ECG at rest is normal. This is not
surprising because the symptoms of angina occur during stress. Therefore, the
functioning of the heart may be tested under stress, typically exercise. In the
simplest stress test, the ECG is taken before, during, and after exercise to
look for stress related abnormalities. Blood pressure is also measured during
the stress test and symptoms are noted.
A more complex stress test involves picturing the blood flow pattern in the
heart muscle during peak exercise and after rest. A tiny amount of a
radioisotope, usually thallium, is injected into a vein at peak exercise and is
taken up by normal heart muscle. A radioactivity detector and computer record
the pattern of radioactivity distribution to various parts of the heart muscle.
Regional differences in radioisotope concentration and in the rates at which the
radioisotopes disappear are measures of unequal blood flow due to coronary
artery narrowing, or due to failure of uptake in scarred heart muscle.
The most accurate way to assess the presence and severity of coronary disease
is a coronary angiogram, an x-ray of the coronary artery. A long thin flexible
tube (a "catheter") is threaded into an artery in the groin or forearm and
advanced through the arterial system into one of the two major coronary
arteries. A fluid that blocks x-rays (a "contrast medium" or "dye") is injected.
X-rays of its distribution show the coronary arteries and their narrowing. (Source: excerpt from NHLBI, ANGINA: NHLBI)
Health care providers can usually find out if you have angina by
listening to you talk about your symptoms and their patterns. They may
also order some tests to further evaluate your angina. Tests may include
x-rays; an electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG) at rest, and during and
after exercise; a nuclear stress test; and coronary
angiography. Variant angina can be diagnosed using a Holter monitor.
Holter monitoring gets a non-stop reading of your heart rate and rhythm
over a 24-hour period (or longer). You wear a recording device (the Holter
monitor), which is connected to small metal disks called electrodes that
are placed on your chest. With certain types of monitors, you can push a
"record" button to capture a rhythm when you feel the symptoms of
angina. (Source: excerpt from Angina: NWHIC)
» Next page: Glossary
Rate This Website
What do you think about the features of this website?
Take our user survey and have your say:
Website User Survey
Medical Tools & Articles:
Next articles:
Tools & Services:
Medical Articles:
Forums & Message Boards
- Ask or answer a question at the Boards:
