Letter From the Guest Editor: Update in Cardiovascular Nuclear Medicine (Part II)

This is Part 2 of an update in Cardiovascular Nuclear Medicine, focusing here on cardiac PET. The issue opens with a comprehensive review by Drs Maddahi and Packard on the state of PET perfusion tracers. While clinical PET perfusion is currently limited to 82Rb and 13NH3, newer agents under investigation, such as 18F flurpiridaz, promise to make PET more widely accessible and to produce images that are even better than those with current tracers. The clinical utility of perfusion PET has been extensively investigated by the team at the Brigham and Women׳s Hospital, with the superb review by Drs Dorbala and DiCarli demonstrating the diagnostic and prognostic advantages of PET, which can be further enhanced by the ability to derive true quantitative coronary blood flow measurements. Over many years, PET has also shown unique strength in the assessment of myocardial viability in patients with severely depressed cardiac function. The excellent review by Drs Lim, McArdle, Beanlands, and Hessian demonstrates that, in spite of some contrary opinions based on the results of STICH (Surgical Treatment of Ischemic Heart Failure), PET viability assessment is very beneficial in suitable patients. Drs Jain and He׳s excellent review of hot spot imaging using 18FDG, including their unique work imaging the effect of ischemia on the myocardium, reminds us that radionuclide detection of coronary disease should be more than assessment of blood flow heterogeneity by also pursuing direct imaging...
Source: Seminars in Nuclear Medicine - Category: Radiology Authors: Source Type: research