MDNews - Central New York

diag n osTic acc es si b i liT y tHe New YoRk HeaRt ceNteR provides care for patients at seven offices throughout central and northern New York, including: + 1000 e. genesee St., Suite 300, Syracuse, NY 13210 + 77 Nelson St., Suite 210, auburn, NY 13021 + 6221 Route 31, Suite 112, cicero, NY 13039 + 77 west barney St., gouverneur, NY 13642 + 33 east Schuyler St., first floor, oswego, NY 13126 + 61 delano St., Pulaski, NY 13142 + 22670 Summit drive, building 6, watertown, NY 13601 Moses Kyobe, M.D., FACC, works in the NYHC Oswego office. empty of blood ��� to snap images. Rather than scan continuously throughout the cardiac cycle, images are taken only at these points because the heart���s natural motion causes unusable, blurry images on CT scans with cardiac calcium scoring. ���We don���t scan during the points of the cycle we couldn���t use anyway,��� says Dr. Lozner. ���It���s silly to give a patient radiation at times when we wouldn���t utilize what the pictures show.��� New York Heart center in-House Pet and SPect The New York Heart Center offers both PET and SPECT nuclear scanning technology for patients with chest pain or shortness of breath to determine if their symptoms are cardiac or noncardiac in nature, according to Dr. Lozner. While CTA may be the best-available technology to detect atherosclerosis, Mazen Beshara, M.D., FACC, Director of Nuclear Cardiology at New York Heart Center, notes that PET stress scans provide the most accurate method of visualizing cardiac perfusion (blockages decreasing the blood supply to the heart) without cardiac catheterization. The New York Heart Center is the only center in Central New York and one of only nine locations throughout New York state performing these important studies. PET scans have several inherent benefits, Dr. Beshara explains, one of which is that the nuclear isotope used in PET scanning has a shorter half-life than that used by traditional SPECT scans, and therefore exposes patients to less radiation in less time. PET scans also provide more accurate imaging for obese patients and those with dense breast tissue. Cutting-edge software (UltraSPECT) to be installed in early 2013 on New York Heart Center���s Cardio MD SPECT cameras facilitates the reduction of imaging time and decreases radiation exposure to patients by half that of previous generations of the technology. By modifying the algorithm the computer uses to process images, Dr. Beshara explains, specialists may perform multiple studies in less time and with half the radiation dose of older-generation SPECT scans. ���This is a recent advancement in SPECT imaging,��� Dr. Beshara says. ���It provides very important testing that leads to important treatments at the lowest possible risk of radiation.��� finding the best Path for Patients Because heart disease affects a significant number of Americans, at-risk patients should immediately be evaluated to prevent potentially catastrophic results. Treatment with medications is common but, as Dr. Beshara explains, not always necessary. ���The easy answer is to put patients on pills, but doing so for the rest of their lives is a huge cost and carries a notable risk,��� he says. ���We need to ask ourselves whether it���s necessary to do that. To answer that question, primary care physicians may send patients to us. We have proven tests to detect heart disease, which can ultimately save patients��� lives.��� Fritz Roc, M.D., FACC, and Vojtech Slezka, M.D., FACC, are shown here in the NYHC Watertown office. Dr. Roc also works at the NYHC Gouverneur location. 10 | Central New York MD News ��� mdNewS.com To learn more about the services provided through the New York Heart Center, visit www.ny-heartcenter.com or call (315) 471-1044. ���

• Cover