Functional cardiac imaging: positron emission tomography

Journal Article · Wed Feb 01 04:00:00 EST 1984

OSTI ID:5619432

Mullani, N A; Gould, K L

Dynamic cardiovascular imaging plays a vital role in the diagnosis and treatment of cardiac disease by providing information about the function of the heart. During the past 30 years, cardiovascular imaging has evolved from the simple chest x-ray and fluoroscopy to such sophisticated techniques as invasive cardiac angiography and cinearteriography and, more recently, to noninvasive cardiac CT scanning, nuclear magnetic resonance, and positron emission tomography, which reflect more complex physiologic functions. As research tools, CT, NMR, and PET provide quantitative information on global as well as regional ventricular function, coronary artery stenosis, myocardial perfusion, glucose and fatty acid metabolism, or oxygen utilization, with little discomfort or risk to the patient. As imaging modalities become more sophisticated and more oriented toward clinical application, the prospect of routinely obtaining such functional information about the heart is becoming realistic. However, these advances are double-edged in that the interpretation of functional data is more complex than that of the anatomic imaging familiar to most physicians. They will require an enhanced understanding of the physiologic and biochemical processes, as well as of the instrumentation and techniques for analyzing the data. Of the new imaging modalities that provide functional information about the heart, PET is the most useful because it quantitates the regional distribution of radionuclides in vivo. Clinical applications, interpretation of data, and the impact of PET on our understanding of cardiac pathophysiology are discussed. 5 figures.

• Research Organization: Univ. of Texas Health Science Center, Houston
• OSTI ID: 5619432
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-PLUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BLOOD FLOW
BLOOD VESSELS
BODY
CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES
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ISOTOPES
MINUTES LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
NUCLEI
ODD-ODD NUCLEI
ORGANS
POSITRON COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY
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RUBIDIUM ISOTOPES
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