I am 63 year old female. I lead a pretty active life altho I can't say I worry too much about exercise or diet. I have been having nuclear stress tests once a year for the past 3 years by my doctor who found and abnormalty in my EKG the first year. He bought equipment to do these tests around that time.
(1) The first test came back abnormal with this impression: Fixed Apical/Inferoseptal Defect with Prior MI in the LAD or RCA distribution; no stree defect, mild LV enlargement, Inferior/septal hypokinesia, LVEF 56%. I was sent to a cardiologist for a cath which came back with a normal left coronary system and 20% irregularity at the sheperd's crook. Ejection 55%. Risk considered low by the cardiologist.
(2) Year 2 test came back Negative Pharmacologic stress for Ischemia, Normail myocardial perfusion study w/no stress defects, normal LV wall motion and thickening annd normal systolic function - LVEF 59%.
(3) Year 3 came back with a normal cardiac echo taken before the stress test with mild mitral prolapse. Then the stress came back with Negative pharm stress for ischemia, duffuse attenuation artifact on rest images (inferior wall, septum, apex), improved perfusion on stress images with persistent defect at the apex - fixed apical defect consistent with infarct scar, apical akinesia, normal systolic function - LVEF 59%.
My question is - should I be concerned about how much these tests differ - it does not give me a warm fuzzy feeling about the accuracy of the tests? Should I worry about the 20% blockage? Should I even be having these tests every year? I soon have an appt with the cardiologist who did my cath.