Heart Disease

[ccstar66]

I am a 40yr old female.   I had 6 stents put in and a ICD in Dec 08 due to a low EF of 20% and AF.  I have been having chest pains and shortness of breath and the feeling that I am full.  I am on many meds.  I had another stress test and I am just not real sure of what the results all mean.  Tried talking to my doctor, but he didn't explain it real well.  he just said he wants to do another catherization.  I was wondering if you can explain my results for the nuclear Spect Imaging Study?

Findings:
1.  Left ventricle appears at least borderline enlarged. Moderate sized perfusion defect is seen that involves the inferior wall, partially reversible and may represent a region of scare with peri-nfarct ischemia.
2. Area of decreased perfusion involving the anterior and anteroapical walls.  Stable on both stress and rest.  It may represent an area of myocardial scar.  A degree of breast attenuation is not excluded.
3. Left ventricular function appears moderately impaired at 35% with generlized hypokinesis.

Conclusions:
1. Abnormal myocardial perfusion study.  Suggestion of an inferior wall defect, partially reversible suggesting myocardial scar with peri-infarct ischemia.  Second defect involving the anterior wall is fixed and may represent regions of scar and degree of breast attenuation is not included.

I would appreciate your thoughts...Thanks

[Jerry_NJ]

I don't know how to interpret the details, but can say that I have "failed" nuclear stress tests and had to go to the catheter to determine the true status of my heart arteries.  I happily "passed" the catheter test - the definitive test.  

As said, the details are way over my knowledge level, but it is my experience that the nuclear stress test tends toward over fault results, which may be better than indicating everything is healthy when it isn't.