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Cardiovascular Imaging

Yale New Haven Heart & Vascular Center offers virtually every type of advanced cardiac imaging technology, including echocardiography, ultrasound, cardiac molecular nuclear medicine imaging (single photon emission computed tomography [SPECT] and positron emission tomography [PET]), cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and computed tomography (CT scans).

Patients who come to Yale New Haven benefit from our unique collaboration of experts. Our Cardiac Imaging Center is jointly staffed by both cardiologists and radiologists with extensive cardiac imaging expertise making it one of the first in the country to adopt this integrated approach. Our specialists are nationally and internationally recognized experts who diagnose heart and blood vessel problems using the most advanced noninvasive and minimally invasive approaches.

Our goal is to provide the right cardiovascular test for the right patient at the right time, including state-of-the-art tests not widely available. Using a broad variety of imaging tests, including echocardiography, nuclear cardiac imaging, cardiac CT and cardiac MRI, our physicians can evaluate a variety of problems including:

  • Chest pain
  • Coronary artery disease
  • Congestive heart failure
  • Valvular heart disease
  • Aneurysms
  • Cardiac sarcoidosis
  • Cardiac amyloidosis
  • Cardiac tumors
  • Peripheral vascular disease
  • Cardiac device infections

Our noninvasive cardiovascular imaging services are available at the York Street Campus and Saint Raphael Campus of YNHH as well as at our outpatient facilities in North Haven, Branford, Guilford, Westbrook, Orange and Norwich.

Services include:

Advanced Vascular Imaging

Yale New Haven Hospital's accredited Advanced Vascular Imaging Services combines the resources of the hospital's main diagnostic radiology group provide the most advanced technology and expertise to diagnose vascular disease.

Learn more about Advanced Vascular Imaging

Cardiac CT Imaging

Cardiac computed tomography, or cardiac CT, is a noninvasive, painless cardiac imaging test that uses X-rays to take detailed pictures of the heart. 

At Yale New Haven, our cardiac CT imaging services provides patients with accurate and appropriate diagnostic medical imaging services by a team of cardiac imaging specialists from radiology and cardiology. 

We offer the most thorough and advanced imaging services, including cardiac MRI, cardiac CT, cardiac PET/CT, echocardiography, and stress nuclear perfusion cardiac imaging.

Cardiac Imaging can help detect cardiovascular problems, including:
  • Aneurysms
  • Cardiomyopathy
  • Congenital defects
  • Congestive heart failure
  • Heart disease
  • Pericarditis
  • Valve disease


Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Accredited by the American College of Radiology, cardiac MRI at Yale New Haven is an innovative service that provides patients with an effective method of determining causes of cardiac illness and malfunction.

Cardiac MRI shows clear, detailed images of the heart and examines the size, thickness and viability of the heart muscle and function of the chambers. It can also help detect tumors of areas of infection in adult and pediatric patients. Patients who benefit from cardiac MRI include those with a history of heart attacks or strokes, unexplained arrhythmias, congenital heart disease or aortic aneurysms.

Coronary Calcium Scan

Calcium deposits in the heart’s coronary arteries indicate the presence of coronary plaque, also known as atherosclerosis or coronary artery disease. Plaque can result in narrowing or blockages that can reduce blood flow to the heart and increase the risk for heart attack or stroke.

Test results of a coronary calcium CT scan are given as a score indicating the amount of calcium present as evidence of calcium buildup in the coronary artery

Learn more about Coronary Calcium Scans

Echocardiography

The Echocardiography Laboratory at Yale New Haven

The Echocardiography Laboratory at Yale New Haven provides a wide range of inpatient and outpatient services including three-dimensional transthoracic and transesophageal studies - advanced techniques that allow doctors to see the heart in three dimensions, just as a surgeon would see it. 

Echocardiography services
2-dimensional and 3-dimensional transthoracic echocardiography
2-dimensional and 3-dimensional transesophageal echocardiography
Stress echocardiography
Treadmill stress echo
Bicycle stress echo 
Pharmacologic (dobutamine) stress echo
Interventional echocardiography


Nuclear Cardiology

The Nuclear Cardiology and Stress Lab at Yale New Haven developed many of the radionuclide imaging techniques used widely throughout the world today.

A staff highly trained in the use of state of the art diagnostic equipment, including hybrid Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT)/CT, Positron Emission Tomography (PET)/CT, gated SPECT blood pool imaging, and first pass imaging, provides patients with the best clinical cardiovascular imaging as well as the development and translation of new targeted molecular imaging for personalized medical care.

Our solid-state SPECT 64-slice CT imaging system, allows us to offer fusion of physiological and molecular radiotracer-based SPECT imaging with high-resolution CT imaging with reduced radiation exposure that surpasses the current national standard. This novel hybrid system has improved image quality and diagnostic accuracy.

Our PET imaging system allows us not only to determine if patients have coronary artery disease but also to evaluate specific groups of patients to determine if they would benefit from revascularization. Using PET, we can determine if patients with systemic sarcoidosis also have heart involvement. 

Our physicians who specialize in nuclear cardiac imaging include leaders in the field and who work to improve patient care through the use of breakthrough nuclear technologies.
 

National Recognition

Cardiac CT and MRI services at YNHH have been recognized nationally and accredited by the American College of Radiology. The YNHH Nuclear Cardiology Laboratory (including cardiac SPECT and PET imaging program, and the Echocardiography Laboratory are accredited by the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission.