Your doctor may request a nuclear perfusion scan if you complain from chest pain that occurs for no clear reason or during exercise. The result of the scan can help to find the cause of the chest pain. The doctor may also advise this test to assess blood flow to the heart walls, and to check if any coronary (heart) arteries are blocked and the extent of the blockage.
This test is also useful if you have experienced a heart attack. It allows your doctor to judge the extent of the damage to your heart. Also, it is a good assessment test of blood flow if you have undergone heart bypass surgery or angioplasty (the re-opening of the blocked heart arteries using a balloon or a stent).