what test measure ejection fraction
An ejection fraction is most commonly measured during an echocardiogram. This painless and noninvasive test uses high-frequency sound waves (ultrasound) to get a picture of the four heart chambers and the four heart valves.
A normal left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) is 50 to 75 percent. Other tests used to measure EF include cardiac catheterization, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT), and nuclear medicine scans. A low EF number is an early sign of heart failure.
But more importantly, the MUGA scan gives an accurate and reproducible means of measuring and monitoring the âejection fractionâ of the cardiac ventricles. The left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) is an excellent, and the most commonly used, measure of overall cardiac function. The ejection fraction is simply the proportion of blood that is expelled from the ventricle with each heart beat. So, for instance, if the left ventricle ejects 60% of its blood volume with each beat, the LVEF is 0.6.