Diagnostic Tests

Board-certified cardiovascular specialist Shahnaz Begum, MD, FACC, at Heart Care in Frisco, Texas, uses cutting-edge diagnostic tests to show how well blood pumps through the heart’s valves and chambers, how blood flows to the heart muscle through the coronary arteries, and if the cardiovascular system has any tumors or other abnormalities. Call Heart Care to learn more about diagnostic testing or book an appointment online today.

What are diagnostic tests?

Dr. Begum orders diagnostic testing when patients have symptoms that could be due to a cardiovascular (heart or blood vessel) disease, such as:

• Shortness of breath
• Chest pain
• Chest pressure
• Heart palpitations
• Dizziness
• Sweating
• Numbness
• Weakness

Cardiovascular diagnostic tests provide valuable information about the heart’s electrical activity, rhythm, and function. They can also be invaluable tools for performing pre-operative (pre-surgical) or dental procedure clearances. 

What diagnostic tests might I need?

Routine cardiac diagnostic tests include:

Electrocardiogram (EKG or ECG)

An EKG is the first diagnostic test most people have for heart symptoms. Sticky pads connected to electrodes are placed on your skin over your heart and major arteries. The electrodes relay information about the heart’s electrical activity to a monitor, which displays a graph of your heartbeat.

Echocardiogram

Echocardiography is an ultrasound of your heart. Ultrasound uses sound waves too high for you to hear that bounce off the heart. The sound waves echo back through an instrument called a transducer, which sends the information to the echocardiography machine. That produces a moving picture of your heart.

Holter or event monitor

Holter and event monitors are portable devices that record your heart’s activity at home or work. You wear the device for several days or sometimes longer. Some devices record continuously, others only when you have symptoms. The information goes to Dr. Begum for analysis.

Vascular studies

Vascular studies are procedures used for checking blood flow in your arteries and veins. They include ultrasound to diagnose atherosclerosis in the large neck arteries and detect aortic aneurysms. Leg and arm vascular studies include the ankle-brachial index (ABI) to check limb blood pressure.

Cardiac CT and MRI

Cardiac CT and MRI produce highly detailed cross-sectional images of the heart and its arteries. CT uses X-ray technology, while MRI uses magnetic energy.

Cardiac angiogram

A cardiac angiogram involves an injection of contrast material that shows up on diagnostic imaging. The contrast highlights blood vessels in your heart so that it can be decided if the heart vessel is blocked or not.  

Dr. Begum and the Heart Care team can also assess your need for and arrange cardiac CTs, cardiac MRI, cardiac angiogram, or other needed forms of testing. 

What is cardiac stress testing?

You might need to undergo a cardiac stress test if recommended by your doctor. Tests include:

• Exercise stress tests (exercise treadmill tests)
• Pharmacological stress testing
• Nuclear stress tests
• Stress echocardiograms

These tests involve raising your heart rate by exercising or taking medications to produce the same effect.

Call Heart Care or book an appointment online today to learn more about cardiac diagnostic tests.