Thallium Viability Testing

Thallium Perfusion testing is used to evaluate the viability of the heart muscle. It is a scan (gamma camera or photoscan) involving the use of thallium-201, a radioisotope. Thallium accumulates evenly in normal heart muscle, but poorly or not at all in injured heart muscle. Images are obtained after injection, at rest and about 4 hours later after reinjection. The results of this test demonstrate the amount of heart muscle which is viable (or active). This test takes about 4-5 hours to complete.

Check with the clinical staff for specific test preparation instructions.