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State of the Art Hybrid Technology: PET/CT

  • Cardiac Nuclear Imaging (A Cuocolo, Section Editor)
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Abstract

In the recent years, hybrid positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) scanners have been increasingly utilized in cardiac applications. PET imaging quality has been improved by the use of new scintillators, small detector element size, and fully 3D iterative reconstruction techniques with time-of-flight information and resolution recovery. Further quality enhancements for cardiac imaging can be obtained by tracking and correcting for cardiac and breathing motion with respiratory gating devices and advanced software techniques. The primary tracers used for PET/CT cardiac imaging are Rubidium-82 (82Rb) and Nitrogen-13-ammonia (13N-ammonia) and 18-F fluorodeoxyglucose used for myocardial viability imaging. A new F-18 perfusion tracer (F-18 Flurpiridaz) is being evaluated. High-resolution multi-slice CT component of the hybrid scanner allows accurate attenuation correction for PET, measurement of CT calcium, and contrast CT angiography. Hybrid PET/CT protocols have demonstrated increased diagnostic accuracy for the detection of obstructive disease compared with standalone techniques. Radiation dose to the patient is a concern in hybrid imaging because multiple scans are performed in one scanning session. 3D PET acquisition combined with the new low-dose CT protocols can reduce the doses significantly. Hybrid PET/CT scanners have also been utilized for anatomically-guided molecular imaging of plaque biology in the carotid vessels, aorta, and coronary vessels. This review summarizes the state-of-the-art hybrid imaging PET/CT instrumentation and advances in the image quality related to cardiac imaging.

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Conflict of Interest

Cedars-Sinai Medical Center receives royalties for the quantitative assessment of function, perfusion, and viability, a portion of which is distributed to the authors of this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Artificial Intelligence Program, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, 90048, USA

    Piotr J. Slomka & Guido Germano

  2. Heart Institute, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, 90048, USA

    Daniel S. Berman

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  1. Piotr J. Slomka
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Correspondence to Piotr J. Slomka.

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Slomka, P.J., Berman, D.S. & Germano, G. State of the Art Hybrid Technology: PET/CT. Curr Cardiovasc Imaging Rep 6, 328–337 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12410-013-9208-2

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