Myocardial Perfusion Scan

Document Type

Article

Department

Cardiology

Abstract

Myocardial perfusion scanning is crucial for diagnostic and therapeutic decision-making in cardiac diseases, especially coronary artery disease (CAD). The term "myocardial perfusion scanning" refers to a group of noninvasive imaging tests that help clinicians assess blood flow to the myocardium. The information obtained from myocardial perfusion scans is essential for determining the most appropriate medical treatment or intervention to optimize cardiac health.Myocardial perfusion scanning is valuable for both diagnostic and prognostic purposes in various clinical scenarios. These include evaluating angina and related symptoms, ruling out acute coronary syndrome as the cause of chest pain, assessing therapeutic outcomes after interventions, and identifying areas of viable or scarred myocardium. This information enables clinicians to evaluate a patient's coronary health comprehensively, perform risk stratification for future cardiovascular events, assess therapeutic responses to interventions addressing perfusion defects, and provide accurate prognostication.

Perfusion scanning utilizes various radiotracers that spread to multiple tissues after administration. These radiotracers emit photons detectable by a γ-camera, which typically contains a single sodium iodide crystal in single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), or multiple crystals in positron emission tomography (PET), to interact with captured photons. The γ-camera is equipped with a collimator to reduce background noise and a photomultiplier, which converts photon-crystal interactions into electrical signals to generate detailed images.

Commonly used radiotracers in SPECT imaging techniques include thallous chloride Tl-201 (201Tl) and technetium-based radiotracers, such as technetium-99m (Tc-99m) sestamibi and Tc-99m tetrofosmin. 201Tl is distributed actively into myocardial cells, whereas technetium-based products spread passively, depending on blood flow and myocardial viability. These radiotracers are injected when the heart is stressed through exercise or pharmacological induction. Radiotracer uptake reveals areas of perfusion and viable tissue during both stress and rest. Areas with poor perfusion that show improvement during rest are referred to as "reversible ischemia

Comments

Abstract,Volume,issue and Pagination are not provided by author/publisher.

Publication (Name of Journal)

StatPearls [Internet].

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