Quantification with normal limits: New cameras and low-dose imaging

Excerpt

SPECT myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) widely utilizes relative quantification of myocardial perfusion. This is accomplished by local comparisons of test patients to other scans of normal patients in most current quantitative SPECT MPI methods.1 ^– 4 These comparisons allow identification of local areas of hypoperfusion, typically in polar map coordinates. The set of normal patients is usually referred to as “normal database” or “normal limits” (when a collection of databases is considered, for example stress and rest databases). Relative quantification of myocardial perfusion with normal databases is a powerful clinical tool which has been documented to rival expert physicians’ reading.5 Therefore, the recommendations regarding the appropriate use of such normal databases should be of great interest to all nuclear cardiology clinicians. …