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Heart Disease (Expert Forum)
Clogged Arteries and Dyspnea?
This forum is for questions and support regarding heart issues such as: Angina, Angioplasty, Arrhythmia, Bypass Surgery, Cardiomyopathy, Coronary Artery Disease, Defibrillator, Heart Attack, Heart Disease, High Blood Pressure, Mitral Valve, Pacemaker, PAD, Stenosis, Stress Tests
Clogged Arteries and Dyspnea?
by Lauro, Jan 03, 2001 12:00AM
Good Morning,
I was reading up on Rosmary's post (below) and the Cardiologist reply.
Wouldn't a person need to have severe stenosis before
they display shortness of breath as their only symptom?
Would a standard EKG monitor, pick this up, i.e. stenosis.
With a female, isn't just a regular stress test inconclusive
while in a male it is more accurate?
How reliable are Thallium Studies for blockages?
I believe I read/heard somewhere, after the recent heart convention in New Orleans, about a *non invasive test* that can clearly show if there is an artery that is clogged.
Did I hear correctly and if so, would you know of this test?
Thank You.
Sharon
I was reading up on Rosmary's post (below) and the Cardiologist reply.
Wouldn't a person need to have severe stenosis before
they display shortness of breath as their only symptom?
Would a standard EKG monitor, pick this up, i.e. stenosis.
With a female, isn't just a regular stress test inconclusive
while in a male it is more accurate?
How reliable are Thallium Studies for blockages?
I believe I read/heard somewhere, after the recent heart convention in New Orleans, about a *non invasive test* that can clearly show if there is an artery that is clogged.
Did I hear correctly and if so, would you know of this test?
Thank You.
Sharon
Doctor's Answer
by CCF CARDIO MD - DLB, Jan 03, 2001 12:00AM
Yes, usually a stenosis would have to be severe before causing shortness of breath, or any symptoms for that matter.
An EKG would not pick this up.
An exercise stress test can be useful in men or women, but is somewhat less accurate in women. A thallium study increases the sensitivity of the test in both men and women.
There are no new non-invasive tests that reliably detect coronary artery blockages any better than stress imaging tests or cardiac catheterization.
An EKG would not pick this up.
An exercise stress test can be useful in men or women, but is somewhat less accurate in women. A thallium study increases the sensitivity of the test in both men and women.
There are no new non-invasive tests that reliably detect coronary artery blockages any better than stress imaging tests or cardiac catheterization.
Thank you
Gina
I had a regular treadmill exercise test, my EKG was normal and I had no symptoms on the treadmill.
I then had a sestamibi scan done. While walking on the treadmill I didn't hold onto the bar and this time I did have symptoms, which consisted of neck/throat/jaw aching, the same symptoms I have walking uphill and climbing stairs and which respond to nitrates. My EKG was still normal but the scan showed ischemia in the area of the left anterior descending artery with a normal scan during the resting phase.
I then had a cardiac cath done and my coronary arteries were clear. I am a 50 year old woman. I would love to hear from people with similar experiences.
Also, there was a post once from someone who had a cardiac cath done once which was negative but had another one done not long after which was positive. The stenosis was "around back" and they missed it the first time. I found this interesting.
Chris S.
Thanks!!!