What does an abnormal nuclear stress test mean?
An abnormal stress test usually means that you have blockage in heart arteries. A nuclear stress test result should be interpreted in the light of a persons symptoms, his risk for coronary artery disease etc. The nuclear stress test has the ability to quantify the severity of abnormality. Further tests for coronary artery disease after a nuclear stress test should be considered based on several different factors. If needed, usual next step is a coronary angiogram. I had an abnormal nuclear stress test and then underwent an angiogram that came out to be normal. Why was the stress test abnormal? Just because you did not have artery blockage that needed to be fixed by stent or bypass surgery, it did not mean that you did not have coronary artery disease. The nuclear stress test can also be false positive in certain cases.
