B P3 C18 Nuclear Cardiology Flashcards
Advantages of PET
High spatial and contrast resolution
Capability for tomographic dynamic imaging with high temporal resolution
Accurate and depth-independent attenuation correction
High count sensitivity, making possible rapid protocols
Low radiation dose protocols (due to short half-life of the PET tracers)
Quantitation of absolute radiotracer concentration in tissue, including myocardial blood flow
CT hybrid imaging for quantification of atherosclerotic burden and localizing hot spot imaging tracers
Availability of a wide array of molecularly targeted clinical and research radiotracers that can image molecular processes in the pico and nano molar concentrations
Indications for Cardiac Positron Emission Tomography Myocardial Perfusion Imaging and Myocardial Blood Flow Measurements
Rest-stress myocardial perfusion PET is a first-line preferred test for patients with known or suspected CAD who meet appropriate criteria for a stress imaging test and are unable to complete a diagnostic-level exercise stress imaging study
Indications for Cardiac Positron Emission Tomography Myocardial Perfusion Imaging and Myocardial Blood Flow Measurements
Rest-stress myocardial perfusion PET is recommended for patients with suspected active CAD, who meet appropriate use criteria for a stress imaging test, and who also meet one or more of the following criteria:
• Prior stress imaging study that is of poor quality, equivocal or inconclusive, affected by attenuation artifact, or discordant with clinical impressions or other diagnostic test results including findings at coronary angiography
• Body characteristics that commonly affect image quality such as large breasts, breast implants, obesity, etc.
• High-risk patients in whom diagnostic error carries even greater clinical implications, such as chronic kidney disease stages 3, 4, or 5; diabetes mellitus; and high-risk CAD
• Young patients with established CAD who are expected to need repeated exposures to radiation associated cardiac procedures
• Patients in whom myocardial blood flow quantitation is needed
• Patients without known CAD who present with symptoms suspicious for myocardial ischemia
• Increased suspicion of multivessel CAD
• Suspected heart transplant vasculopathy
• Patients with known CAD in whom more specific physiologic assessment is desired
A low-dose, noncontrast, ungated free tidal b ing scan of the chest.
Attenuation correction CT
A noncontrast, prospectively gated CT scan for dose reduction, acquired during an inspiratory breath-hold
Calcium score CT
Plays a major diagnostic role, particularly in the evaluation of patients without prior known coronary artery disease (CAD) and with normal MPI
Calcium score
Radionuclide imaging has limited anatomic resolution and hybrid CT imaging (without or with iodinated CT contrast) provides localization of the tracer uptake, which is helpful in hot spot imaging:
________________ for amyloidosis
________________ for sarcoidosis or infection imaging
99m Tc-pyrophosphate
2-deoxy-2-[18 F] fluoro-D-glucose [18 F-FDG]
There are four common modes of image acquisition with SPECT or PET:
List mode, static, ECG gated, or dynamic
____________ allow assessment of regional wall motion and quantification of left ventricular (LV) volumes and EF
ECG-gated images
___________ allows tracking of radiotracer transit through the blood vessels and the heart starting with the time of radiotracer injection
Myocardial blood flow estimates can be derived by this approach
Dynamic imaging
This can be performed at rest and during peak pharmacologic stress to compute rest and stress myocardial blood flow, respectively.
The ratio of stress to rest myocardial blood flow is termed ________________
Myocardial flow reserve (MFR)
Dynamic imaging for myocardial blood flow quantitation requires pharmacologic stress testing with _____________ (preferred) or dobutamine.
Vasodilators
An ideal radiotracer for MPI should be extracted by the myocardium at a rate that is ____________
Linearly related to myocardial blood flow
Most SPECT and PET perfusion radiotracers demonstrate ____________, as in the resting state, or when there is significant obstructive CAD with a reduction in stress myocardial blood flow.
Linear extraction at relatively low blood flow rates
As myocardial blood flow increases with exercise or pharmacologic stress, radiotracer extraction falls off and, consequently, myocardial blood flow is underestimated.
Accuracy can be increased by using radiotracers with greater extraction at high flow rates; this is particularly important for the evaluation of nonobstructive CAD, diffuse CAD, or microvascular dysfunction.
FDA-approved SPECT myocardial perfusion tracers
99mTc-sestamibi
99mTc-tetrofosmin
201thalium
99mTc is produced by a 99mmolybdenum generator and then compounded into 99mTc-sestamibi or 99mTc-tetrofosmin; have a half-life of ___________
6 hours
99mTc perfusion tracers passively diffuse into cardiomyocytes at rates proportional to blood flow and bind to the mitochondria within the first _________ after injection.
60 to 90 seconds
Mechanism of uptake of
99mTc-sestamibi
99mTc-tetrofosmin
Mitochondrial uptake
201thallium is produced by a cyclotron, emits lower energy photons (80 keV), and has a half-life of ___________.
73 hours
201Thallium circulates to the heart at a rate proportional to blood flow and enters the cardiomyocytes via the ____________
Na+/K +ATPase pump
Early perfusion defects on 201thallium images represent _____________ from ischemia or scar.
Perfusion defects may resolve over time because of redistribution of 201 thallium in ischemic and hibernating regions; therefore poststress 201thallium images are obtained ______________ after injection
Reduced blood flow
Within 10 to 15 minutes
Because of its long half-life and relatively low photon energy, 201 thallium imaging is associated with a ________________
For this reason, it is currently not recommended for _____________; instead, it is used for ________________ at sites without access to other viability tests
Higher radiation dose
Perfusion imaging
Viability assessment
Highest extraction ratio among spect tracers
201Thallium - 85% (lowest photon energey 69-81 keV)
Sestamubi - 65% (140 keV)
Tetrofosmin - 60% (140 keV)
FDA-approved PET perfusion tracers
82Rubidium
13N-ammonia