What Happens During the Test?

A MUGA scan is usually performed at a clinic, test center or hospital. Your doctor may order either a rest or an exercise MUGA scan.

Rest MUGA Scan

Several electrodes (small sticky patches) are placed on your chest and connected to an ECG, which records the electrical activity of your heart.

An intravenous (IV) line is then inserted into a vein in your arm, and the radioactive tracer is injected into the line. (Sometimes, the tracer may be injected directly into the vein).

Next, you lie flat on a special table under a large scanning camera. During imaging, the camera moves slowly in an arc over the front of your chest, taking pictures of your heart from multiple angles. Remain still while the pictures are being taken.

Exercise MUGA Scan

In some cases, you may undergo an exercise scan in addition to a rest scan. The exercise scan allows doctors to learn how well your heart works when it is made to beat faster and harder.

Exercise MUGA Scan The rest and exercise images are compared side by side on a monitor screen. This allows doctors to determine the size, pumping strength, and wall motion of the ventricles during both rest and exercise.

During the exercise portion of the test, you are asked to lie on a table equipped with pedals. As you pedal, images are taken with the scanning camera. Pedaling is easy at first, then it gets harder.

The exercise scan is particularly useful in diagnosing coronary heart disease. Normally, all areas of the left ventricle pump harder during exercise. If an area of the ventricle does not pump as well as it should during exercise, it may not be receiving enough blood because of a narrowed or blocked artery.

The exercise scan can also help diagnose heart failure, cardiomyopathy, and valve disease. If the ventricle cannot pump harder with exercise, this may be a sign that it is weakened.

How Long Does It Take?