Nuclear Cardiology: Technical Applications

Book Preface

Nuclear cardiology procedures have become essential components in the evaluation of patients with known or suspected cardiovascular disease. The success of our modality has, in large part, been due to advanced technology that continues to improve and expand the field. This has included the evolution of SPECT technologies, development of PET techniques, new radiopharmaceuticals, and cardiovascular CT.

The past few years have seen a virtual explosion of technical development. While exciting, understanding and using these complex technologies is critical for the creation of accurate data for interpretation and clinical use. Knowledge of these technologies is important for physicians and technologists performing and interpreting the studies, as well as health care providers who refer patients and then incorporate imaging results into clinical practice. Our goal in producing Nuclear Cardiology: Technical Applications was to provide a single, concise volume which would address the complex technological aspects of SPECT, PET, and cardiovascular CT. We also sought to provide technical information regarding stress procedures and imaging agents, as well as acquisition and processing protocols related to nuclear cardiology and cardiovascular CT.

This book is divided into eight sections. The first section comprises a review of instrumentation for both single photon emission computerized tomography (SPECT) and positron emission tomography (PET). Section 2 discusses key aspects of radiopharmaceuticals presently in widespread use, as well as newer agents. Sections 3 and 4 deal with the nuts and bolts of daily nuclear cardiology imaging including the technical aspects of stress testing, image acquisition, processing, and quantitation. The remainder of this book includes other nuclear cardiology procedures including PET and PET/CT, imaging ventricular function, and also touches on key regulatory issues.

It has been a pleasure to work on this project with our dedicated and learned contributors. We hope that this book will provide you, the reader, with information necessary to perform or utilize the highest-quality nuclear cardiology and cardiovascular CT data.