CARDIOVASCULAR IMAGING
CARDIOVASCULAR IMAGING
Specialists from UAB Medicine ’ s world-renowned Cardiovascular Imaging service offer leading-edge , noninvasive diagnostic imaging services for heart and vascular conditions .
Cardiovascular imaging modalities / services available at UAB Medicine include :
• Cardiac CT
• Cardiac MRI
• Echocardiography & transesophageal services
• Nuclear cardiology diagnostic testing
• Diagnostic vascular studies
With continual growth across imaging modalities , our CV Imaging service is committed to advancing its offerings to fully meet the needs of patients referred for diagnostic evaluation . In particular , continued growth is expected in the incorporation and use of cardiac PET technology to help determine if cardiac catheterization or surgery is needed to restore blood flow to the heart .
HIGHLIGHTS
• Our program now offers metabolic stress testing and pulmonary gas exchange testing .
• Over the past year , we began offering cardiac amyloid testing , a non-invasive nuclear imaging procedure to confirm cardiac amyloidosis that is available at only a few other medical centers in the country .
• Standardized clinical protocols are maintained across all UAB Medicine imaging service centers , which helps promote exceptional imaging quality and better outcomes by ensuring that best practices are followed .
• First in the southeast to create a career ladder for cardiac sonographers within our service line
• Greatly improved access at our suburban UAB Medicine-Gardendale clinic , expanding options for patients on where they can undergo diagnostic testing
• Our physicians and senior sonographers lead educational opportunities and lunch-and-learn sessions for our staff , which have helped improved quality and outcomes .
• Our transesophageal echocardiogram ( TEE ) services were expanded to our UAB Hospital-Highlands campus for critically ill patients in its ICU .
ACCREDITATIONS
UAB Medicine CV Imaging programs / services that are accredited by the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission ( IAC ) and where those services are offered include :
• Echocardiography : UAB Hospital , UAB Hospital-Highlands , The Kirklin Clinic of UAB Hospital , UAB Medicine- Gardendale clinic , and The Kirklin Clinic at Acton Road
• Transesophageal echocardiogram ( TEE ): UAB Hospital and UAB Hospital-Highlands
• Vascular testing : UAB Hospital-Highlands , The Kirklin Clinic at Acton Road , and UAB Medicine-Gardendale clinic
• Cardiac electrophysiology : UAB Hospital and The Kirklin Clinic of UAB Hospital
• Nuclear cardiology : The Kirklin Clinic of UAB Hospital and The Kirklin Clinic at Acton Road
• Cardiovascular MRI : UAB Hospital and Boshell Diabetes Building
12 UAB Cardiovascular Institute Annual Report