Coronary Artery Disease Diagnosis: 4 Tests That Help Diagnose CAD

When fatty cholesterol deposits form on the walls of your coronary arteries, they make them narrow and thick. In time, these deposits will rupture, leading to the formation of blood clots that interrupt the blood supply to your heart. This condition is known as coronary artery disease and, when left untreated, it can lead to heart failure.

1. Electrocardiogram

The electrocardiogram, also known as ECG or EKG, is one of the most common cardiology tests. It examines the electrical signals in the heart. It’s used to diagnose coronary artery disease, but also many different other heart diseases.

An ECG is a non-invasive test that gives results on the spot, under the supervision of a medical specialist who also knows how to interpret them. Tiny patches, which are known as sensors or electrodes, are attached to your chest, your arms, and your legs. These electrodes are connected to a monitor that analyzes your heart and tells the doctor what’s going on.

The upper right chamber of the human heart hosts something called a pacemaker cell. These cells trigger an electrical impulse that regulates the beat of your heart. The role of the EKG test is to record the strength and timing of these electrical signals, monitoring how they travel through the heart.

2. Holter monitor

The only downside of an electrocardiogram is that it will only record the heartbeats while the electrodes are attached to your body. Thankfully, there’s a solution for that: the Holter monitor. This is a medical device that you wear for 24 to 48 hours, and which records all your heart’s electrical signals during this period.

The Holter monitor is an extended solution to the EKG test, which may not give your doctor all the information required to diagnose a potential heart condition. This monitor stores your heartbeat information over the course of a couple of days, which the doctor then analyzes.

Usually, a Holter monitor can’t be removed and has to be kept dry at all times, so bathing while you’re wearing it out of the question. The Holter monitor uses the same electrode system, so you can expect to have to move around with wires attached to your chest.

The recording device is quite small and is usually worn around the neck. It’s typically no larger than a standard-sized smartphone. Most doctors will also ask that you keep track of what you were doing in the event of any palpitations so that they can identify your triggers with better precision.

Wireless Holter monitors are also available as of recently, and they can be worn for longer periods of time.

3. Echocardiogram

The echocardiogram is another type of non-invasive test that can be used to see if your heart has any weal parts that could be damaged because of coronary artery disease. Much like an echograph, the echocardiogram uses sound waves to render digital images of your heart.

This type of test is used to determine if any chambers or valves of your heart are causing problems, and what’s causing chest pain or shortness of breath. There are many different types of echocardiograms, and your doctor can choose to perform any of these, depending on what information they need:

• The transthoracic echocardiogram is the standard choice. Through a device called a transducer, the doctor will record the sound waves that echo from your heart. After smearing it with gel, the doctor presses the transducer against your skin, while the computer uses the registered echoes to render images on a monitor.
• The transesophageal echocardiogram is a more invasive procedure, which requires inserting a tube with a transducer down your throat, after numbing it so that you won’t feel any pain.
• The Doppler echocardiogram is used when the doctor wants to determine the direction and speed of your heart's blood flow. The doctor can apply Doppler techniques while giving you transthoracic or transesophageal echocardiograms.
• For those who are suspected of having coronary artery disease, doctors may choose to perform a stress echocardiogram. The test requires you to perform a more strenuous physical activity, like riding a stationary bike or walking on the treadmill, in order for the doctor to determine if there are any problems with the coronary arteries. However, the stress test doesn’t provide information on potential artery blockage.

4. Cardiac catheterization and angiogram

Cardiac catheterization is an invasive medical exam that doctors perform to see if the blood is flowing normally to your heart. By inserting a catheter that travels all the way to your coronary arteries, the doctor will inject a dye. The role of this dye injection is to see if there are any blockages that might prevent normal blood supply to the heart. In case there are, the doctor can widen the coronary arteries by inserting a balloon inside, with the help of the catheter.

When this balloon is inflated, it forces the artery walls to pull apart from one another, facilitating blood circulation. If the doctor notices that your arteries don’t stay open, they may choose to insert a stent, a permanent mesh tube that keeps the artery walls at a proper distance.

Conclusion