What is soft tissue attenuation?

Soft tissue attenuation can occur on an image created during a nuclear stress test, according to Sharecare. The test records images of blood flow through the body using a special nuclear camera. Sometimes soft tissue, like breast tissue, shows up on the image and affects its quality.

During a nuclear stress test, the person administering the test inserts radioactive dye into the blood vessels of the patient, explains Sharecare. The nuclear camera records images before, during and after exercise to measure blood flow. If there is soft tissue attenuation on the recorded images, it gives the false appearance of an area of reduced blood flow to the heart.