PET/CT in cardiology

Abstract

With the event of multimodality imaging, the combination of structural and functional information provided by new PET/CT technology will increase the diagnostic range in cardiovascular disease. State of the art multislice CT imaging allows not only the delineation of regional coronary calcification but also non-invasive coronary angiography. Coronary calcification has been shown to be of independent prognostic value. Together with the functional evaluation of rest and stress myocardial perfusion both parameters, calcification and angiography, can be used to risk stratify individual patients with suspected or proven coronary artery disease. Perfusion abnormalities can be correlated to regional coronary anatomy and guidance of therapeutic intervention will be provided. In addition, the data acquisition allows delineation of regional and global wall motion as well as assessment of left ventricular volumes in patients with advanced coronary artery disease and symptoms of heart failure. Using metabolic imaging the extent of viable myocardium can be related to regional wall motion abnormalities and prognostic information regarding revascularization and clinical outcome obtained. With the advent of molecular imaging the co-registration of coronary anatomy as well as scintigraphic signals e. g. inflammation may be helpful to identify patients with unstable plaques or accelerated atherosclerosis.