Normal Variants and Pitfalls in Cardiac PET/CT.

Abstract

Positron emission tomography and/or computed tomography (PET/CT) MPI is a powerful imaging modality for the assessment of cardiovascular diseases. It offers several advantages over single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) MPI including robust attenuation correction and absolute quantification of radiotracer activity. PET MPI has a large evidence base and is the only clinical tool to evaluate coronary microvascular dysfunction. In addition, the clinical use and evidence base for 2-deoxy-2-[18F]fluoro-D-g1ucose (18F-FDG) cardiac PET imaging for inflammation and metabolism imaging is rising exponentially. In order to gain from the advances of this sophisticated quantitative technique, a high-quality scan is critical. It is important for readers to recognize a poor-quality scan, identify artifacts contributing to the poor image quality, and understand how to correct them prior to reporting the results. In this review, we will discuss some normal variants and pitfalls in cardiac PET/CT radionuclide MPI, myocardial viability, and inflammation imaging.