Advanced Cardiac Imaging
Heart disease is the number-one cause of death in the United States. UPMC’s Advanced Cardiac Imaging Program hopes to change that.
Through our cutting-edge technology and sophisticated equipment, we provide specialists with some of the most detailed medical images available — allowing them to detect heart disease in its earliest, most treatable stages.
What distinguishes our program?
- a wide range of innovative and advanced cardiac imaging equipment, found in only a few centers around the world
- a team of imaging scientists and specialists who are leaders in developing new diagnostic imaging technology
Cardiac imaging services
The Advanced Cardiac Imaging Program at UPMC offers:
- echocardiography — precise, noninvasive measures of cardiac function
- nuclear cardiology — radiation-based methods to diagnose heart disease
- cardiac MRI — two-dimensional and three-dimensional pictures of the heart using a large magnet and radio waves
(only offered at UPMC Presbyterian)
At UPMC, several hospitals offer advanced cardiac imaging programs. Choose the hospital location where you would like to get imaging services.
Echocardiography
Our specialists perform more than 10,000 echocardiograms annually.
Precise measures of cardiac function — once obtainable only through the use of invasive procedures — are taken noninvasively at UPMC with state-of-the-art:
- ultrasound systems
- harmonic imaging
- tissue Doppler imaging
Our high-quality, digital imaging technology provides superior images that quickly can be viewed on a computer screen and interpreted with the expertise of our on-site radiologists.
Stress echocardiography
UPMC's Advanced Imaging Program — Echocardiography performs stress echocardiography, which measures heart function during exertion from:
- exercise stress
- drug-induced (dobutamine) stress in people who can't exercise
Transesophageal echocardiography
UPMC specialists were the first in western Pennsylvania to use transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) procedures, which provide exceptionally high-quality images of cardiac structures.
We use TEE to diagnose heart diseases and help us during certain procedures.
| to diagnose heart conditions |
- diseases of the aorta
- infections on heart valves
- complex birth defects of the heart
- the presence of blood clots
|
| during open-heart surgery |
to help the surgeon and anesthesiologist:
- monitor cardiac function
- evaluate the adequacy of valve repair or replacement
|
| during catheter-based procedures |
to help cardiologists:
- close holes in the heart’s atrial septum using catheters — instead of open-heart surgery
|
Nuclear Cardiology
UPMC’s Advanced Cardiac Imaging Program has one of the most technologically advanced facilities in the world for nuclear cardiology — the use of radiation-based methods to diagnose heart disease.
We offer:
- the most advanced imaging systems currently available for nuclear cardiology
- a nuclear cardiology computer information system with capabilities that extend beyond commercially available systems
- a 64-slice CT scanner for cardiac CT imaging
- a technologically advanced education center
Stress testing labs
As one of the most experienced nuclear cardiology programs in the United States, we have multiple stress testing laboratories:
Cardiac MRI
In a cardiac MRI, magnetic waves are used to diagnose heart disease. Using a large magnet, radio waves, and a computer, an MRI makes two-dimensional and three-dimensional pictures of the heart.