Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsPurpose of TestRisks and ContraindicationsBefore the TestDuring the TestAfter the TestInterpreting ResultsA Word From Verywell
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Purpose of Test
Risks and Contraindications
Before the Test
During the Test
After the Test
Interpreting Results
A Word From Verywell
A MUGA scan—the acronym for multiple gated acquisition scan—is an outdated test used to examine the ventricles (lower chambers) of the heart.
A MUGA scan is a noninvasive, nuclear medicine test that uses gamma rays and a radioactive tracer to create a computerized image of the heart as it beats. A MUGA scan evaluates the overall ability of the heart to pump blood.
Also Known AsRadionuclide ventriculographyEquilibrium radionuclide angiogramBlood pooling imagingNuclear heart scan
Also Known As
Radionuclide ventriculographyEquilibrium radionuclide angiogramBlood pooling imagingNuclear heart scan
PeopleImages / E+ / Getty Images
In the past, MUGA scans were used to measure left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) in patients undergoing chemotherapy with drugs that have cardiac toxicity. Cancer survivors who specifically benefit from MUGA monitoring include people who have had radiation therapy to the chest and people who have had a bone marrow transplant. People who have received certain chemotherapy agents may also benefit from MUGA monitoring, though MUGA scans are rarely used today.
MUGA scans have also occasionally been used to measure EF in cases where echocardiography was technically difficult to help decide if heart failure patients would benefit from the implantation of a defibrillator.
The use of MUGA scans has fallen dramatically in the last 10 years with the widespread availability of more accurate methods that require less radiation such as cardiac MRI or CT angiography.
The MUGA scan has several advantages over other tests that assess cardiac function:
While MUGA is a highly regarded test, it does have some pitfalls, including:
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Timing
A MUGA scan typically takes one to two hours to complete. When planning your day, allow enough time to travel to the facility where the test will be performed. In addition, you may also need to fill out paperwork and/or wait to be brought into the room where the test will take place. Ask your healthcare provider how much time you realistically will need to block off for your MUGA scan.
Location
The MUGA scan is an outpatient test. It is typically performed in a hospital or clinic.
What to Wear
When dressing to go to your appointment, keep in mind what sort of test you’ll be having. If you will be running on a treadmill or riding a stationary bike during your MUGA scan, wear the same type of clothing you would for a workout, including appropriate shoes.
If exercise will not be part of your test, wear loose-fitting clothing and comfortable shoes.This will make it easier to change into a hospital gown if asked.
Food and Drink
If you’ll be having a resting scan, you likely will be directed to avoid alcohol and caffeine (not only in coffee or tea but also in soda) several hours before the test.
If you’ll be exercising during your test, you will be told to not eat or drink anything except water for four hours beforehand.
What to Bring
You may be able to fill out any necessary paperwork at home prior to having a MUGA scan; if so, bring that paperwork with you to your appointment. In addition, bring your health insurance card, your driver’s license or another form of official identification, and an acceptable form of payment should you owe a co-pay at the time of the test.
Knowing how to prepare for a MUGA scan and what to expect during it and afterwards will relieve any anxiety you may have about the test.
Pre-Test
Before a resting MUGA scan, you may be asked to put on a hospital gown. If you’ll be exercising during your test and did not wear appropriate clothing or shoes, you will need to change into those.
Either way, once you’re properly dressed, a technician will attach electrodes (small, round adhesive patches) to your chest. If you have chest hair, it may need to be shaved where the electrodes will be positioned.
The electrodes are attached to anelectrocardiographmonitor (EKG) that charts the heart’s electrical activity during the test.
Throughout the Test
If you are asked to exercise, you will pedal on a specialized stationary bike or walk on a treadmill while the camera takes pictures of your heart.
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After the test, you can change back into your street clothing, leave, and resume your normal activities right away.
Your healthcare provider will receive a written report later and go over it at your next scheduled appointment. There, you will learn what the next steps are for your care.
Managing Side Effects
There is a risk of having an allergic reaction to the tracer, but it’s small because the dose is so small.Drinking plenty of water after a MUGA scan will help effectively flush the radioactive material from your system.
The MUGA test measures your ejection fraction, which is the amount of blood pumped out of the heart during each heartbeat (contraction). Your results will usually be shown as a percentage. For example, an ejection fraction of 30% means that 30% of the total amount of blood in the left ventricle when it is full is pumped out with each heartbeat. A normal ejection fraction is between 50% and 70%.
If a MUGA scan indicates an abnormal ejection fraction, you and your healthcare provider will discuss what this might mean and how to proceed with your care.
MUGA scans can be used to assess cardiac function during a course of chemotherapy for cancer, since some chemotherapy drugs can be toxic to the heart muscle—notably Adriamycin (doxorubicin). By measuring the LVEF with periodic MUGA scans, oncologists can determine whether it is safe to start or continue chemotherapy, or whether certain drugs need to be stopped.
Other Considerations
Before you meet with your healthcare provider about your results, it helps to write down any questions so you won’t forget any. Your practitioner is the best person to guide you in your care, and having an open dialogue about your questions and concerns is important.
If you would also like a second opinion on the scan’s findings or what to do next, you can ask your healthcare provider what the process is to get medical records.
How to Change Doctors
The MUGA is most useful when it’s important for you to have an accurate measurement of your LVEF or to closely follow your LVEF over time.
Cancer survivors who specifically benefit from MUGA monitoring include people who have had radiation therapy to the chest and people who have had a bone marrow transplant. People who have received certain chemotherapy agents would also benefit from MUGA monitoring.
8 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Voorhees AP, Han HC.Biomechanics of cardiac function.Compr Physiol. 2015;5(4):1623–1644. doi:10.1002/cphy.c140070
American Heart Association.Radionuclide ventriculography or radionuclide angiography (MUGA scan).
Yang SN, Sun SS, Zhang G, et al.Left ventricular ejection fraction estimation using mutual information on technetium-99m multiple-gated SPECT scans.Biomed Eng Online. 2015;14:119. doi:10.1186/s12938-015-0117-2
American Heart Association.What is left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH)?
MDSave.MUGA scan.
Cleveland Clinic.MUGA scan.
American Heart Association.Ejection fraction heart failure measurement.
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