Thallium Scanning for Assessment of Coronary Blood Flow Flashcards
1
Q
Thallium is an analogue of what ion?
A
Potassium
2
Q
How does Thallium enter cells?
A
Through the same channels that potassium enters.
3
Q
What part of the body can take up Thallium (Tl 201)?
A
Active cardiac muscle, if there is adequate blood flow.
4
Q
What is tested for when injecting Thallium into the body?
A
Uptake measures the quality of coronary blood flow.
5
Q
What are the 2 ways you can image the body for Thallium uptake?
A
- 2D imaging that detects emitted gamma (y) rays.
2. 3D imaging by computed tomography (CT) machine.
6
Q
What is usually done in conjunction to Thallium scans/injections?
A
Exercise tests
7
Q
Areas with poor coronary flow will show up on the image as?
A
“Defects” (this probably means that there is no activity/fluorescence on the scan.
