Hi, can someone tell me which cardiac test is best for diagnosing heart failure?

I thought it was the Echocardiogram which measures the ejection fraction, is this right?

My thanks for all future advice given.

My Mom has CHF - she always has echograms and a nuclear scan (in the beginning). She also has Afib (has a pacemaker), so she has a holter also. She goes for an echogram at least once a year now, and of course is checked every 6 months by her CHF specialist.

The very best measurement of ejection fraction is probably made via radionuclide ventriculography, sometimes calle MUGA scan. A dose of injected radioactive material is imaged as it passes through the heart.

Hi, can someone tell me which cardiac test is best for diagnosing heart failure?

I thought it was the Echocardiogram which measures the ejection fraction, is this right?

My thanks for all future advice given.

You are correct. Ultra sound is the best procedure to obtain measurements. The EF requires a measurement of the left ventricle sizes and an estimate of volume.

EF is closely related procedurely to fractional shortening which is the difference between LV-end diastolic dimension and LV end systolic divided by LV end diastolic diminsion.

Above 30% is considered normal, 26 to 30% represents a mild decrease in ejection fraction, etc. Dimension imaging for calculation is somewhat subjective by the tech, and interpretation of echos are doctor dependent.

The very best measurement of ejection fraction is probably made via radionuclide ventriculography, sometimes calle MUGA scan. A dose of injected radioactive material is imaged as it passes through the heart.

Lenin,

How does MUCA measure EF? EF is measured with a cath procedure and may be considered more accurate??...is that aspect of the cath (injections) similar to MUGA?

It seems to me MUGA may be the best procedure to find a blockage causing ischemia, but to calculate EF, isn't that a function of heart diminsions? The max size at systole is in the equation for cardiac output indicating if it increases out of range it decreases EF. X=systole, Y=diastole where X-Y/X (fractional shortening). An enlarged heart (left ventricle) causes heart failure when the EF is below 30%.