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Reducing radiation to patients and improving image quality in a real-world nuclear cardiology laboratory

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Journal of Nuclear Cardiology Aims and scope

Abstract

In part because of aging equipment and reduced reimbursement for imaging services in the last several years, nuclear cardiologists who remain in private practice face challenges in maintaining high quality and in reducing radiation exposure to patients. We review patient-centered approaches and affordable software solutions employed in our practice combined with supine-prone myocardial perfusion imaging to achieve increased interpretive confidence with reduced radiation exposure to patients.

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Abbreviations

AC:

Attenuation correction

CAD:

Coronary artery disease

LV:

Left ventricle

mCi:

Millicuries

MPI:

Myocardial perfusion imaging

mSv:

Millisievert

MHVA:

Midwest Heart and Vascular Associates

PET:

Positron emission tomography

SPECT:

Single-photon emission-computed tomography

WBR:

Wide-beam iterative reconstruction

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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Stephen A. Bloom MD, FASNC.

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The authors report no conflict of interest.

Additional information

All editorial decisions for this article, including selection of reviewers and the final decision, were made by guest editor Andrew J. Einstein, MD, PhD, Associate Professor of Medicine (in Radiology), Columbia University.

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Bloom, S.A., Meyers, K. Reducing radiation to patients and improving image quality in a real-world nuclear cardiology laboratory. J. Nucl. Cardiol. 24, 1871–1877 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12350-017-0851-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12350-017-0851-x

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