Please report to Admitting 15 minutes before your
scheduled exam time.
PREP:
No barium studies 2-3 days prior to the scan.
PURPOSE:
A MUGA Scan is done to study how well the left
ventricle (pumping chamber) of your heart is functioning.
WHAT TO EXPECT:
You will be asked to lie on a scanning table for
approximately 45 minutes. The technologist will place a needle in a vein
of your arm to draw some blood. The needle will remain in the arm until
the mixing (tagging) process is complete which is about 20 minutes. The
blood which was drawn from you will be mixed (tagged) with a radioactive
material and then injected back into you through the needle still in your
arm. Three EKG patches will be placed on your chest to be connected to a
EKG triggering device which tells the camera when to acquire the scan.
This allows the doctor to see a cine (video) image of the left ventricle
as it pumps the radioactive blood through it. A camera will be positioned
over the heart for the scan. You will need to lie completely still during
the scan.
TIME FRAME:
45 minutes
POSSIBLE
COMPLICATIONS: Minimal to no side effects
from the radioactive isotope.
IF YOU ARE PREGNANT,
INFORM THE TECHNOLOGIST BEFORE THE EXAM.
Back