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Journal of Nuclear Cardiology
Published in: Journal of Nuclear Cardiology 1/2018

01-02-2018 | Debate Article

Measurement of MBF by PET is ready for prime time as an integral part of clinical reports in diagnosis and risk assessment of patients with known or suspected CAD-PRO

Author: Marcelo F. Di Carli, MD

Published in: Journal of Nuclear Cardiology | Issue 1/2018

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Excerpt

Semi-quantitative evaluation of regional myocardial perfusion has been standard practice in nuclear cardiology for more than three decades. This approach has proven to be accurate and reproducible. Most importantly, semi-quantitative measures of total perfusion deficit are powerful markers of clinical risk and serve as clinically relevant guides to patient management. Thus, one might wonder what if anything could be improved with quantitative measures of myocardial blood flow (MBF, in mL/min/g of myocardial tissue) and flow reserve (MFR, calculated as the ratio of peak hyperemic myocardial blood flow over that at rest), and what might be the relevance of a debate regarding whether we should consider incorporating such measurements into our clinical practice. This debate may be especially relevant now that there may be a pathway to reimbursement for quantification of myocardial blood flow.1 Those interested in the topic should also read a comprehensive consensus statement on the technical and clinical aspects of myocardial flow quantification, co-sponsored by the Society of Nuclear Medicine and the American Society of Nuclear Cardiology.2 In the following paragraphs, I will outline the potential advantages of incorporating measures of myocardial blood flow, as assessed by positron emission tomography (PET), to the clinical nuclear cardiology workflow for improving diagnosis and management of coronary artery disease (CAD). …
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Metadata
Title
Measurement of MBF by PET is ready for prime time as an integral part of clinical reports in diagnosis and risk assessment of patients with known or suspected CAD-PRO
Author
Marcelo F. Di Carli, MD
Publication date
01-02-2018
Publisher
Springer US
Published in
Journal of Nuclear Cardiology / Issue 1/2018
Print ISSN: 1071-3581
Electronic ISSN: 1532-6551
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12350-017-1035-4

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