Member Comments are provided by individuals and reflect their personal opinions only. Under NO circumstances should you act on any advice or opinion posted in this forum. ALWAYS check with your personal physician before taking any action regarding your health! MedHelp International and our partners, sponsors and affiliates have no obligation to monitor any comments posted on this site, or the content and/or accuracy of such exchanges. MedHelp International does not endorse the views of any user.
Heart Disease (Expert Forum)
False positive on Thallium Stress Test
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 Prolapse, Pacemaker, PAD, Stenosis, Stress Tests.
False positive on Thallium Stress Test
by Lydia Berens, Sep 04, 1999 12:00AM
What is the incidence of a getting a false positive on a thallium stress test?
This happened to my 31 year old nephew. A subsequent cardiac catherization showed no blockages in any arteries.
His 32 year old brother will soon be scheduled for a cardiac catherization because he, too, had a positive thallium stress test. N.B.: They had different cardiologists, in different states. Should t 32 year old re-take the thallium stress or move on to the Cardiac Catherization or what?
The reason for this testing: Their 38 year old brother had a sudden cardiac death 3 weeks ago, an autopsy showed 3 highly occluded arteries.
Both of these young men had had heart scans at the Ohio Heart Ultrafast CT Scanning facility in Columbus, OH, prior to the thallium stress testing, ...and,both showed the presence of Calcium in the mid-left anterior descending artery, other arteries being negative. Their plaque buildup exceeded the 75th percentile for their age/gender.
Please comment on the efficacy of the Ultrafast CT Scan.
This happened to my 31 year old nephew. A subsequent cardiac catherization showed no blockages in any arteries.
His 32 year old brother will soon be scheduled for a cardiac catherization because he, too, had a positive thallium stress test. N.B.: They had different cardiologists, in different states. Should t 32 year old re-take the thallium stress or move on to the Cardiac Catherization or what?
The reason for this testing: Their 38 year old brother had a sudden cardiac death 3 weeks ago, an autopsy showed 3 highly occluded arteries.
Both of these young men had had heart scans at the Ohio Heart Ultrafast CT Scanning facility in Columbus, OH, prior to the thallium stress testing, ...and,both showed the presence of Calcium in the mid-left anterior descending artery, other arteries being negative. Their plaque buildup exceeded the 75th percentile for their age/gender.
Please comment on the efficacy of the Ultrafast CT Scan.
Doctor's Answer
by CCF CARDIO MD - DLB, Sep 07, 1999 12:00AM
Dear Lydia
The false positive rate is quite high in 30 year old men, as their likelihood of coronary artery disease is so small. However, given their brother's history, I would have gotten a Thallium and proceeded with a catheterization if the Thallium was positive. I am not a believer in the CT scanning - I think it is mostly marketing hype (but patients love it).
I hope this has been useful. I wish you the best of luck.
The false positive rate is quite high in 30 year old men, as their likelihood of coronary artery disease is so small. However, given their brother's history, I would have gotten a Thallium and proceeded with a catheterization if the Thallium was positive. I am not a believer in the CT scanning - I think it is mostly marketing hype (but patients love it).
I hope this has been useful. I wish you the best of luck.
