Cardiac (Heart) Imaging

Cardiac imaging tests take pictures of the heart.

The experts at UPMC's Advanced Cardiac Imaging Program use cutting-edge imaging technology to diagnose, treat, and monitor a range of heart conditions, including:

Heart attack (myocardial infarction)
Cardiomyopathy (heart muscle disease)
Congestive heart failure
Heart valve disease
Aortic disease
Congenital heart defects (heart problems present at birth)
Blood clots or tumors in the heart
Endocarditis (infection in the heart's valves or inner lining)
Decreased blood flow to heart muscle (myocardial ischemia) due to blocked coronary arteries

Contact the UPMC Heart and Vascular Institute

To request an appointment, contact the UPMC Heart and Vascular Institute:

Call: 1-855-876-2484
Email: HeartandVascular@upmc.edu

Benefits of Cardiac (Heart) Imaging

Cardiac imaging is a critical step in the accurate diagnosis of many heart conditions. Through these images, doctors can evaluate the size and structure of a patient’s heart and see how well it functions.

Patients who come to UPMC’s Advanced Cardiac Imaging program can benefit from the latest imaging technology and the combined expertise of cardiologists, cardiac surgeons, and cardiac imaging specialists. Our experts work as a team to develop individual treatment plans for each patient.

Types of Heart Imaging Test

Echocardiography

Precise measures of cardiac function including:

Stress echocardiography
Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) — UPMC Presbyterian offers 3D TEE to diagnose heart disease
TTE (transthoracic echocardiogram)

Nuclear Cardiology

State-of-the-art nuclear cardiology with capabilities that extend beyond commercially available systems
64-slice CT scanner for cardiac CT imaging
Technologically advanced education center
D-SPECT® nuclear cardiology camera

Coronary CT Angiography

Uses a special computer and x-ray technology with fast scanning time
Creates detailed 3D images of your coronary arteries

Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)

UPMC Presbyterian offers a full range of cardiac MRI services.
Our doctors — working together with the Adult Congenital Heart Disease Center at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh — use highly advanced cardiac MRI procedures to diagnose genetic heart diseases and defects.

Calcium Scoring Computed Tomography (CT)

Painless scan to check for calcium in plaque on the coronary arteries.
UPMC experts have extensive experience diagnosing heart disease early through using computed tomography technology.

Our Experts at UPMC's Advanced Cardiac Imaging Program

Glenn Andrews, MD
Christopher Deible, MD
William P. Follansbee, MD
Elliot Gozansky, MD, PhD
William E. Katz, MD
Jenifer E. Lee, MD
Erik Schelbert, MD
Prem Soman, MD
Flordeliza Sant Villanueva, MD
Timothy Wong, MD

Center for Ultrasound Molecular Imaging and Therapeutics

The Center for Ultrasound Molecular Imaging and Therapeutics, a program of UPMC and the University of Pittsburgh, is a multidisciplinary translational research facility.

Led by Flordeliza Villanueva, MD, director of Noninvasive Cardiac Imaging at the UPMC Heart and Vascular Institute, the center’s research staff work to develop ultrasound contrast agents and imaging systems with the goal of moving basic discoveries in ultrasound-based molecular imaging into clinical practice.

Some of the applications that center researchers are currently working on include:

Microbubble technology — a promising method for imaging early heart disease using ultrasound molecular imaging, as well as for delivering targeted drug or gene therapy.
Rapid molecular diagnosis of ischemic chest pain in the ER.
Detection of high-risk atherosclerosis plaques.
Evaluation of stents.
Gene therapy.

Learn more about research at the Center for Molecular Imaging and Therapeutics website.

Learn More About Heart Imaging Tests

UPMC Patient Education Materials: