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PET Cardiac Indications

Measuring metabolic and perfusion rate within the heart, cardiac PET scans can pinpoint areas of blockage or impairment and evaluate myocardial viability.

This information is particularly important for patients with a history of myocardial infarctions and those being considered for a revascularization procedure. PET can help determine if bypass surgery or a transplant would be the appropriate treatment.

PET cardiac can aid in the treatment of your patients with the following indications:

• Myocardial viability (F-18-FDG)
  Particularly helpful after a nonreversible defect is seen on thallium-201 SPECT (some of these patients have extensive viability by PET)
  

• Myocardial perfusion (rubidium-82)
  Particularly helpful in the following situations:
  - After equivocal thalllium or sestamibi (Cardiolite) SPECT study
  - Discordant clinical, ECG, and myocardial perfusion SPECT results
  - Large breasted women or very obese patients