Acquisition, Processing, and Interpretation of PET 18F-FDG Viability and Inflammation Studies

This article reviews the acquisition protocols and image interpretation for18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) imaging with positron emission tomography (PET) applied to the evaluation of myocardial viability and inflammation.Recent FindingsCardiac PET with18F-FDG provides essential information for the assessment of myocardial viability and inflammation and is usually combined with PET perfusion imaging using82Rb or13N-ammonia. Viable myocardium maintains glucose metabolism which can be detected via the uptake of18F-FDG by PET imaging. The patient is prepared for viability imaging by shifting the metabolism of the heart to maximize the uptake of glucose and hence of18F-FDG. Comparison of the18F-FDG and myocardial perfusion images allows distinction between regions of the myocardium that are hibernating and thus may recover function with intervention, from those that are infarcted. Increased glucose utilization in the inflammatory cells also makes18F-FDG a useful imaging technique in conditions such as cardiac sarcoidosis. Here, suppression of normal myocardial uptake is essential for accurate image interpretation.Summary18F-FDG PET broadens the scope of information potentially available through a cardiac PET study. With careful patient preparation, it provides valuable insights into myocardial viability and inflammatory processes such as sarcoidosis.
Source: Current Cardiology Reports - Category: Cardiology Source Type: research