An Inside Look at Your Heart

With heart disease being the number one killer of both men and women, health experts say it’s important to know your risk. "Cardiac stress MRI is a great test that looks at the blood flow going to the heart. So we look at the rest images of the heart and stress images of the heart.

“We’re able to compare the images and we’re able to see if there are some parts of the heart that aren’t receiving adequate blood flow," explained Dr. Nikhil Rajadhyaksha, a Diagnostic Interventional Radiologist at Lee Health.

The test helps doctors determine if an intervention like cardiac catheterization or surgery is needed. "A cardiac MRI stress test is able to look at multiple different functions. It’s able to look at the structure and function of the heart and the contractility of the heart. It’s able to look at the blood flow of the heart, and we’re able to look at surrounding structures around the heart as well," said Dr. Rajadhyaksha.

Patients with chest pain and shortness of breath, coronary artery disease, or previous heart attacks, may qualify for the test. "We're trying to look at the heart and we’re trying to see what part of the heart is functioning well and what part of the heart is at risk for developing a heart attack, and what part of the heart has already succumbed to a heart attack," he said.

The test takes about an hour and delivers quick results for the patient. Helping doctors evaluate patient symptoms and give the best treatment needed.


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Lee Health in Fort Myers, FL is the largest network of health care facilities in Southwest Florida and is highly respected for its expertise, innovation and quality of care. For more than 100 years, we’ve been providing our community with personalized preventative health services and primary care to highly specialized care services and robotic assisted surgeries. Lee Health - Caring People. Inspiring Care.


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