Recognizing and preventing artifacts with SPECT and PET imaging
KEY POINTS • Radionuclide imaging artifacts are common and can lead to false positive results, decreasing the accuracy of the study. • SPECT and PET imaging artifacts are related to…
CARDIOVASCULAR IMAGING
Applications of nuclear cardiology in known stable coronary artery disease
KEY POINTS • Exercise testing with MPI is preferred for evaluating symptomatic patients with known CAD to establish a link between symptoms and perfusion defects and for optimal risk stratification….
Patient with prior revascularization
KEY POINTS • Coronary revascularization with CABG or PCI is a palliative intervention strategy associated with residual risks and the need for both secondary prevention lifestyle and medical therapies and…
Preoperative risk evaluation: When and how?
KEY POINTS • Preoperative risk stratification should be a comprehensive assessment with careful evaluation of active cardiac conditions, clinical risk factors, and planned surgical intervention. • Noninvasive ischemic evaluation should…
Patients with new-onset stable chest pain syndromes
KEY POINTS • The assessment of patients with new-onset stable chest pain includes a detailed history assessment and ECG. • The current risk scores tend to overestimate the risk for…
Radiopharmaceuticals for clinical SPECT and PET and imaging protocols
KEY POINTS • A key physiologic attribute that defines the quality of a MPI agent is defined by the relationship between the tracer uptake and MBF. A linear relationship maximizes…
Principles of myocardial blood flow quantification with SPECT and PET imaging
KEY POINTS • Accurate quantitative MBF quantification requires an understanding of the technical capabilities of the instrumentation and quantitative software used to make the measurements. • Quality control of MBF…
Approaches to minimize patient dose in nuclear cardiology
KEY POINTS • Before ordering any test, especially one associated with ionizing radiation, we must ensure the appropriateness of the study and that the potential benefits outweigh the risks. •…
Positron emission tomography
KEY POINTS • The radionuclides of interest for PET emit positrons, the antiparticles of electrons. • Positrons interact with free electrons to produce two back-to-back 511-keV annihilation photons; PET imaging…
Single photon emission computed tomography
KEY POINTS • Conventional gamma cameras use one to three detectors, based on a NaI scintillation crystal and a photomultiplier tube array, that rotate around the patient. • Cameras commonly…
