A cardiac amyloidosis scan uses a radioactive substance called ^99mTechnetium Pyrophosphate (^99mTc-PYP) which is injected into your veins and allows a nuclear camera to create pictures showing the amount of cardiac uptake of this substance.  Hearts that are infiltrated with the amyloidosis protein, transthyretin, bind the ^99mTc-PYP which can be measured on the nuclear scan and if at significant levels subsequently diagnoses cardiac amyloidosis.

This test is done to determine if symptoms such as shortness of breath, fatigue, swelling and/or recurrent congestive heart failure is related to cardiac transthyretin amyloidosis. 

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