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What is MUGA Scan??
A Multiple-Gated Acquisition (MUGA) scan is a non-invasive imaging test that evaluates the efficiency with which your heart’s lower chambers (ventricles) pump blood out into your body. Tracers and gamma rays create images of your heart in the scan, which your doctor can then use to diagnose and treat your condition.
This scan determines the amount of blood that leaves the heart with each contraction, known as the ejection fraction. If you have unusual heart-related symptoms, the findings may assist your doctor in identifying heart diseases. The test also determines if your heart is healthy enough to undergo cancer chemotherapy.Â
Frequently Asked Questions:
What is a MUGA scan used for?
A MUGA scan shows the heart's lower chambers (ventricles). It indicates any abnormalities in the heart’s functioning. It enables your healthcare provider to understand your heart function better before beginning therapy. Additionally, it might assist them in selecting the most appropriate therapy for you.
MUGA scan test result
A MUGA test determines your ejection fraction or the volume of blood pumped out of your heart with each heartbeat. Typically, your result is indicated as a percentage. For example, a 30% ejection fraction indicates that your heart fully pumped out 30% of the left ventricle blood with each heartbeat. The usual ejection fraction is between 50 and 75%.
Why do I need a MUGA scan?
A MUGA scan determines the efficiency with which the heart pumps blood. It may assist a healthcare provider in determining why a patient is having angina (chest pain), dizziness, fatigue, or dyspnea (shortness of breath). Additionally, a MUGA scan is sometimes used to identify other heart health issues.
What happens during a MUGA scan?
A MUGA scan creates computer-generated pictures of the heart with a special camera during the test. A tiny quantity of technetium-99m-pertechnetate, a radioactive contrast medium, is injected into a vein. It forms a chemical bond with red blood cells, carrying oxygen in the body through the heart. The camera detects the tracer's radiation.
Is a MUGA scan a stress test?
A MUGA scan monitors your heart's blood flow in each beat. A MUGA scan ‘exercise’ or ‘stress’ enables the doctor to determine how your heart responds to exercise. A ‘resting’ MUGA scan measures the efficiency with which your heart pumps blood when you are lying still.
Is a MUGA scan more accurate than an echocardiogram?
MUGA scans offer more accurate and detailed pictures of the heart's walls and valves than an echocardiogram, particularly in obese people, and help diagnose heart failure or heart valve disease.
The scans monitor heart transplant recipients and cancer patients enduring potentially hazardous chemotherapy treatments (such as doxorubicin treatment). As with any radiation-based technique, MUGA scans include a minimal inherent risk, but regular scans are safe.
How long do MUGA scans take?
The MUGA scan might take up to 3 hours, depending on the number of images required. The technician will implant electrodes on your chest at the start of your visit. These monitor your heart's electrical activity.
What is the difference between an echo and a MUGA scan?
- MUGA is a nuclear medicine test that uses gamma rays and chemical tracers to produce images of your heart. High-frequency sound waves and a transducer coated in a special gel is used for a MUGA scan.
- An echo produces heart ultrasound images. It is performed by gently inserting a transducer into your chest or down your neck through a tiny, flexible tube.
Is a MUGA scan safe?
A MUGA scan has minimal risks and does not cause side effects. The tracer material and the camera produce extremely low levels of radioactivity; therefore, there is no risk to your body in the short or long term. Indeed, a MUGA scan produces significantly less radiation than a conventional X-ray scan.
How much radiation is in a MUGA scan?
The radiation exposure associated with a MUGA scan is substantial at around 6.2 millisieverts (mSv). The massive radiation is approximately double the normal amount of background radiation that an individual receives in an entire year. It is also about 10 times the radiation exposure associated with a mammogram.
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