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.
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!!!