What is more reliable for ejection fraction, echocardiogram or nuclear stress test?

[slmiller222]

Diagnosed with dialated cardiomyopathy, had an echocardiogram and my ejection fraction was 25, had a nuclear stress test and it was 38, which is a more reliable test? Dr said sometimes you see a difference in numbers but rarely this much of a difference.

[Occupant]

Yes, you do - meaning seeing that much of a difference. My EF was 50% versus 74% which shows even more of a difference than yours. The nuclear stress test gives more accurate results.

[tacolino]

Hi there. The echo is the usual preferred EF test. Of course Cath is also used, but is a much more invasive test which would only be done if there were good reason in the doctors opinion. How is your BP? Its just that Dilated Cardio is often caused by high BP, over time. The high BP causes the Heart to compensate and it gradually enlarges and thickens too. This works ok for a while, but eventually it causes problems. Generally the left Ventricle enlarges in a lot of cases. You need to find out the cause of the Cardiomyopathy to start with.
If it is caused by high BP, once that's controlled, improvement may gradually happen. Im not a doctor, so you need to discuss all the test findings with your medical people