The Role of Scintigraphy with Bone Radiotracers in Cardiac Amyloidosis

Cardiac amyloidosis (CA) is caused by the myocardial deposition of misfolded proteins, either amyloid transthyretin (ATTR) or immunoglobulin light chains (AL). The paradigm of this condition has transformed, since CA is increasingly recognized as a relatively prevalent cause of heart failure. Cardiac scintigraphy with bone tracers is the unique noninvasive technique able to confirm CA without performing tissue biopsy or advanced imaging tests. A moderate-to-intense myocardial uptake (Perugini grade ≥2) associated with the absence of a monoclonal component is greater than 99% specific for ATTR-CA, while AL-CA confirmation requires tissue biopsy.

Source: Heart Failure Clinics - April 8, 2024 Category: Cardiology Authors: Paolo Morfino, Alberto Aimo, Assuero Giorgetti, Dario Genovesi, Marco Merlo, Giuseppe Limongelli, Vincenzo Castiglione, Giuseppe Vergaro, Michele Emdin Source Type: research