Cardiovascular Medicine

About diagnosis

One-day cardiac catheterization test

Early detection is the most effective method of preventing heart disease. For this purpose, we offer one-day cardiac catheterization tests from Monday to Saturday so that busy persons can casually receive the test.

Cardiac catheterization test

The cardiac catheterization test is the most reliable test for the diagnosis of ischemic heart disease. In the test, a thin, hollow tube called a catheter is inserted from the wrist, elbow, or groin to the coronary artery, and contrast medium is injected into the catheter to visualize the coronary arteries. The test takes about 30 minutes. The patients should stay in bed for about two hours afterwards, receive an explanation of the test results, and then go home.

After contrast media is injected into the coronary arteries, the condition of the coronary arteries is checked using the monitor. The figure at the lower left shows the condition of coronary arteries after contrast media is injected. The figure at the lower right shows stenosis lesions on the circumflex branch of left coronary artery, and insufficient blood supply to its peripheral vessels.

Exercise stress test

This is a test to record electrocardiograms during exercise. If there are any symptoms, electrocardiographic changes are observed in many cases. Exercise stress tests are generally used for the diagnosis of angina pectoris. This test is a useful diagnostic tool for patients with coronary artery disease with moderate risks who have experienced chest pain.

Cardiac ultrasonography

Using echocardiography to take two-dimensional echocardiograms and monitor the movement of the heart in real-time using ultrasound diagnostic (echocardiographic) imaging equipment is indispensable for the diagnosis of valvulopathy, myocardial infarction, cardiomyopathy, etc. With this test, we can easily monitor the valve motion, thickness of cardiac muscles, wall motion, etc.

Nuclear medicine test

As the nuclear medicine test provides information while causing less physical pain, patients can easily receive the test if there is any abnormality in the electrocardiogram. It enables accurate determination of myocardial ischemia at a very high rate, and evaluation of severity to some extent. Our hospital has introduced the latest positron-emission tomography (PET).

Holter electrocardiography (ECG)

Holter ECG continuously monitors electrocardiograms for 24 hours. It records the heart’s rhythms during usual social activities. It is indispensable for the diagnosis of arrhythmia.

These tests are essential to the diagnosis of heart disease, but even if these tests reveal no abnormality, angina pectoris may often exist. Therefore, specialist physicians actively recommend cardiac catheterization tests for definitive diagnosis as a result of the comprehensive assessment of test results.