Diagnostic Partners’ Testing Services

Using ultrasound, this painless procedure displays a cross-sectional, 2D picture of the beating heart, including the chambers, valves and major blood vessels. The echocardiogram also employs Doppler ultrasound imaging to reveal blood flow direction and velocity.

Common indications for ordering a resting echocardiogram include

• Abnormal EKG
• Chest pain
• Syncope and collapse
• Hypertensive heart disease
• Atrial fibrillation
• Enlarged heart
• Cardiac murmur
• Shortness of breath

A stress echocardiogram requires a treadmill for the patient. The technologist first obtains resting echocardiogram images from the patient, who then exercises on the treadmill until the maximum heart rate is achieved. The patient is then rapidly imaged to assess heart wall motion.

Common indications for ordering a stress echocardiogram include

• Abnormal EKG
• Chest pain
• Syncope and collapse
• Painful respiration
• Cardiovascular disease
• Angina
• Previous myocardial infarction

Carotid ultrasound shows whether plaque has narrowed the carotid arteries. Common indications for ordering a carotid duplex study include…

• Bruit
• Dizziness
• Syncope and collapse
• Cerebral atherosclerosis
• Amaurosis fugax
• Intractable migraine

An IMT scan measures the thickness of artery walls and also detects the presence of plaque. The average thickness of the intima media is then compared with the intima media thickness of people the same age and gender to arrive at an arterial “age.”

Common indications for ordering IMT scanning include

• Family history of cardiovascular disease
• Post-heart attack or post-stroke monitoring
• Tobacco use
• Obesity (BMI >30)
• High LDL or low HDL cholesterol levels
• A positive EBT calcium score
• Diabetes
• Elevated lipoprotein(a)
• Hypertension
• Sedentary lifestyle

This is a non-invasive assessment of the arterial flow in the lower extremities conducted with Doppler spectrum analysis, real-time ultrasound imaging, exercise testing and segmental pressures. Peripheral artery scanning can also assist in the diagnosis of aortic, iliac, femoral and popliteal artery aneurysms.

Common indications for ordering a peripheral arterial exam include

• Rest pain
• Diabetes with peripheral circulatory disorders
• Pain in limb
• Localized superficial swelling
• Mass/lump in extremity

The technologist systematically interrogates the entire length of the abdominal aorta as well as the common iliac arteries for the presence of an enlargement. Aortic and common iliac velocity measurements and waveforms are obtained using Doppler ultrasound imaging. (The mesenteric and renal arteries are not evaluated during this study.)

Common indications for ordering an abdominal aorta scan include

• Tobacco use
• Advanced coronary disease
• Abdominal aortic aneurysm without rupture
• Abdominal pain

A Holter monitor creates a continuous, 24-hour recording of a patient’s EKG. The monitor is worn during the patient’s daily activities to help the physician correlate symptoms of dizziness, palpitations or black-outs. It can also help evaluate the patient’s EKG during episodes of chest pain, during which time there may be telltale changes to suggest ischemia or reduced blood supply to the muscle of the left ventricle.

Holter monitoring can be set up easily and quickly within your practice. Our team provides the resources for your clinical staff to learn how to apply and remove holters, allowing the service to be an everyday part of patient care in your practice. Our holter monitors are interpreted by a board certified cardiologist, and comprehensive reports are returned with in a few short days of the test being completed.

Common indications for ordering the use of a Holter monitor include

• Bundle branch block
• Atrial flutter
• Cardiac dysrhythmia
• Palpitations (PVC, PAC)