Holter monitors provide 24-hour EKG records of the heart's electrical activity. Treadmill and stress testing monitor the heart's electrical reaction and pumping efficiency during exercise at increasing intensities. Nuclear thallium testing monitors the movement of isotopes, a low dose radioactive substance, through the heart in order to evaluate the delivery of blood flow to the heart muscle. Echocardiogram testing , through the use of sound waves, evaluates the size of the heart chambers, the function of the valves, the ability of the heart to pump and can help detect various forms of heart disease. The TEE helps physicians determine abnormalities, such as what part of a heart valve might be leaking.
Cardiac catheterization allows cardiologists to examine the heart for disease and abnormality.
The most common use of this procedure is in the diagnosis of chest pain. Cardiac electrophysiologic studies evaluate a patient for the possibility of sudden death due to life threatening arrhythmia or rapid heart beat. Biopsies provide physicians with medical information that can lead to effective treatment of problems that cause the heart muscle to weaken. The procedure involves removing a very small tissue sample from the heart through a cardiac catheter.