Electrophysiology (EPS) studies use cardiac catheterization techniques to study patients who have irregular heartbeats (called arrhythmias). EPS shows how the heart reacts to controlled electrical signals. These signals can help doctors find out where in the heart the arrhythmia starts and what medicines will work to stop it. EPS can also help doctors know what [...]
An electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG) is a routine test that is used to look at the electrical activity of the heartbeat. An electrocardiogram can tell your doctor a lot about your heart and how it is working. This test can help your doctor learn more about your heart rhythm, the size and function of the [...]
Echocardiography Echocardiography uses sound waves to produce an image of the heart and to see how it is functioning. Depending on the type of echocardiography test they use, doctors can learn about the size, shape, and movement of your heart muscle. This test can also show how the heart valves are working and how blood [...]
Computed Tomography (CT) Scan A CT scan (“cat scan”) is an x-ray technique that uses a computer to create cross-sectional (or slice-like) pictures of the heart. How does it work? The CT scanner is a large X-ray machine that has a short, open-ended tube in the middle (like a very short tunnel). The patient lies [...]
MRI is a scan that lets doctors see inside the body without having to perform surgery. The test is painless, and uses no radiation. Cardiac MRI is a test that gives doctors a detailed picture of the heart, including the chambers and valves, without patients having to undergo cardiac catheterization. How does it work? The [...]
Cardiac catheterization is a method doctors use to perform many tests and procedures available for diagnosing and treating coronary artery disease. Cardiac catheterization is used with other tests such as angiography, arteriography, and electrophysiology studies (EPS). How does it work? The method involves threading a long, thin tube (called a catheter) through an artery or [...]
Angiography Angiography is an x-ray technique where dye is injected into the chambers of your heart or the arteries that lead to your heart (the coronary arteries). The test lets doctors measure the blood flow and blood pressure in the heart chambers and see if the coronary arteries are blocked. How does it work? Doctors [...]
X-ray – Form of radiation used to create a picture of internal body structures on film.
Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome – A condition in which an extra electrical pathway connects the atria (two upper chambers) and the ventricles (two lower chambers). It may cause a rapid heartbeat.
Vertigo – A feeling of dizziness or spinning.