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01-08-2015 | Nuclear Cardiology (V Dilsizian, Section Editor)

Prognostic Significance of Imaging Myocardial Sympathetic Innervation

Authors: Saurabh Malhotra, Stanley F. Fernandez, James A. Fallavollita, John M. Canty Jr.

Published in: Current Cardiology Reports | Issue 8/2015

Abstract

There has been a longstanding interest in understanding whether the presence of inhomogeneity in myocardial sympathetic innervation can predict patients at risk of sudden cardiac arrest from lethal ventricular arrhythmias. The advent of radiolabeled norepinephrine analogs has allowed this to be imaged in patients with ischemic and non-ischemic cardiomyopathy using single, photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and positron emission tomography (PET). Several observational studies have demonstrated that globally elevated myocardial sympathetic tone (as reflected by reduced myocardial norepinephrine analog uptake) can predict composite cardiac end-points including total cardiovascular mortality. More recent studies have indicated that quantifying the extent of regional denervation can predict the risk of lethal ventricular arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death. This review will summarize our current understanding of the prognostic significance of altered myocardial sympathetic innervation.

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Title: Prognostic Significance of Imaging Myocardial Sympathetic Innervation
Authors: Saurabh Malhotra
Stanley F. Fernandez
James A. Fallavollita
John M. Canty Jr.
Publication date: 01-08-2015
Publisher: Springer US
Published in: Current Cardiology Reports / Issue 8/2015
Print ISSN: 1523-3782
Electronic ISSN: 1534-3170
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11886-015-0613-9

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