A<unk>  (also referred to as a cardiac diagnostic<unk> , cardiopulmonary exercise<unk> , or abbreviated CPX<unk>  is a cardiological<unk>  that measures the heart's ability to respond to external<unk>  in a controlled clinical environment. The<unk>  response is induced by exercise or by intravenous pharmacological stimulation.<unk> s compare the coronary circulation while the patient is at rest with the same patient's circulation during maximum cardiac exertion, showing any abnormal blood flow to the myocardium (heart muscle tissue). The results can be interpreted as a reflection on the general physical condition of the<unk>  patient. This<unk>  can be used to diagnose coronary artery disease (also known as ischemic heart disease) and assess patient prognosis after a myocardial infarction (heart attack). Exercise-induced<unk> ors are most commonly either exercise on a treadmill or pedalling a stationary exercise bicycle ergometer. The level of<unk>  is progressively increased by raising the difficulty (steepness of the slope on a treadmill or resistance on an ergometer) and speed. People who cannot use their legs may exercise with a bicycle-like crank that they turn with their arms, or may be given a medication to induce cardiac<unk> . Once the<unk> <unk>  is completed, the patient generally is advised to not suddenly stop activity but to slowly decrease the intensity of the exercise over the course of several minutes. The<unk>  administrator or attending physician examines the symptoms and blood pressure response. To measure the heart's response to the<unk>  the patient may be connected to an electrocardiogram (ECG); in this case the<unk>  is most commonly called a<unk>  but is known by other names, such as exercise<unk> ing,<unk> <unk> ing treadmills, exercise tolerance<unk> ,<unk> <unk>  or<unk> <unk>  ECG. Alternatively a<unk> <unk>  may use an echocardiogram for ultrasonic imaging of the heart (in which case the<unk>  is called an echocardiography<unk> <unk>  or<unk>  echo), or a gamma camera to image radioisotopes injected into the bloodstream (called a nuclear<unk> <unk> .
Cardiac stress test
Coronary CT calcium scan
Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging
Coronary CT angiography
Cardiac PET
Myocardial perfusion imaging
Magnetocardiography
Cardiac imaging