MUGA
Medical abbreviation · Cardiology
| Stands for | Multigated acquisition scan |
|---|---|
| Categories | Medical |
MUGA stands for Multigated acquisition scan, a cardiology abbreviation.
Nuclear scan that labels the patient's red blood cells with technetium-99m and records the heart's blood pool across many cardiac cycles to calculate ejection fraction. Its high reproducibility made it a standard for monitoring heart function during cardiotoxic chemotherapy.
Example: Baseline MUGA before trastuzumab shows LVEF 62%; repeat every 3 months during therapy.
Usage notes
Pronounced "MUG-ah." Also called radionuclide ventriculography or gated blood pool imaging, where "gated" means image capture is synchronized with the ECG. Echocardiography with strain imaging and cardiac MRI have largely replaced it because they avoid radiation, but MUGA remains useful when echo images are poor.
Related abbreviations
More cardiology abbreviations
- MI – Myocardial infarction
- MINOCA – Myocardial infarction with nonobstructive coronary arteries
- MPI – Myocardial perfusion imaging
- MR – Mitral regurgitation
- MRG – Murmurs, rubs or gallops
- MS – Mitral stenosis
- MV – Mitral valve
- MVP – Mitral valve prolapse
- MVR – Mitral valve replacement
- NICM – Nonischemic cardiomyopathy
- NSR – Normal sinus rhythm
- NSTEMI – Non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction
See all 229 cardiology abbreviations →
This entry is for general education and is not medical advice. Abbreviation use varies between institutions; always confirm in context.