Chonnam Med J.  2013 Aug;49(2):55-64. 10.4068/cmj.2013.49.2.55.

Recent Trends in Nuclear Cardiology Practice

• Won KS
• Song BI

• KMID: 1428263
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4068/cmj.2013.49.2.55

Abstract

Over the past three decades, radionuclide myocardial perfusion scintigraphy (MPS) has become established as the main functional cardiac imaging technique for ischemic heart disease. It is currently appropriate for all aspects of detecting and managing ischemic heart disease, including diagnosis, risk assessment and stratification, assessment of myocardial viability, and evaluation of left ventricular function. The purpose of this article was to review recent trends in nuclear cardiology practice, excluding positron emission tomography. The past few years have brought several rapid developments that have increased photon sensitivity in nuclear cardiology scanner hardware. Additionally, software applying new methods of single photon emission tomography (SPECT) reconstruction on conventional and dedicated systems has preserved or even improved SPECT image quality with lower count statistics. On the other hand, much interest has been shown in lowering the radiation dose by the stakeholders of MPS.

Keyword

Myocardial perfusion imaging; SPECT; Radiation

MeSH Terms

Cardiac Imaging Techniques
Cardiology
Hand
Myocardial Ischemia
Myocardial Perfusion Imaging
Perfusion Imaging
Positron-Emission Tomography
Risk Assessment
Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon
Ventricular Function, Left

Figure

• 

  FIG. 1 D-SPECT cardiac system and detector-head configuration. (A) D-SPECT cardiac scanner with seated patient. (B) Each detector column is composed of CZT sensor (39×39×5 mm) with four 16×16 pixel detectors and tungsten collimator with 0.2-mm septa and square opening (pitch, 2.46 mm; length, 21.7 mm). (C) Nine detector columns, each capable of rotation and translation, are used to scan the myocardium. From Ref. 3.

• 

  FIG. 2 Case example of MPI of a patient with 70% stenosis of the proximal midleft anterior descending coronary artery. (A) Perfusion images by conventional (top) and high-speed (bottom) SPECT demonstrating a moderate reversible perfusion defect in the left anterior descending coronary artery territory. Total acquisition time is indicated on the left-hand side. (B) Quantitative analysis yielded similar results for high-speed and conventional SPECT. From Ref. 5.

• 

  FIG. 3 Proposed algorithm for maximal reduction in patient radiation exposure is modified from ref. 54.

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