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Technical aspects of acquiring and measuring myocardial blood flow: Method, technique, and QA

  • Technologist Corner
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Journal of Nuclear Cardiology Aims and scope

Abstract

Measuring absolute myocardial blood flow (MBF) is becoming a common aid for diagnosing patients suspected to have coronary artery disease. An MBF study, however, requires a scanner with high count rate capability, is more susceptible to artifacts, and is much more technically involved than static imaging, which leads to a greater risk of artifactual results contaminating the final result. This technical note gives the reader an introductory understanding of the method for calculating MBF. It then describes the scanning protocol, potential pitfalls and how to recognize them, and quality control steps that should be taken to avoid basing a clinical decision on possibly inaccurate flow information.

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Abbreviations

MBF:

Myocardial blood flow

BGO:

Bismuth germanate

LSO:

Lutetium oxyorthosilicate

LYSO:

Lutetium-yttrium oxyorthosilicate

GSO:

Gadolinium oxyorthosilicate

ROI:

Region of interest

TAC(s):

Time activity curve(s)

QC:

Quality control

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Disclosure

John R. Votaw has received consulting fees from Syntermed, Inc. René R. Sevag Packard reports no potential conflicts of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA

    John R. Votaw PhD

  2. Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, California, USA

    René R. Sevag Packard MD, PhD

  3. Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, Los Angeles, California, USA

    René R. Sevag Packard MD, PhD

  4. Veterans Affairs West Los Angeles Medical Center, Los Angeles, California, USA

    René R. Sevag Packard MD, PhD

Authors
  1. John R. Votaw PhD
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  2. René R. Sevag Packard MD, PhD
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Correspondence to John R. Votaw PhD.

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Votaw, J.R., Packard, R.R.S. Technical aspects of acquiring and measuring myocardial blood flow: Method, technique, and QA. J. Nucl. Cardiol. 25, 665–670 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12350-017-1049-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12350-017-1049-y

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