Radiopharmaceutical tracers for cardiac imaging

Abstract

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death and disease burden worldwide. Nuclear myocardial perfusion imaging with either single-photon emission computed tomography or positron emission tomography has been used extensively to perform diagnosis, monitor therapies, and predict cardiovascular events. Several radiopharmaceutical tracers have recently been developed to evaluate CVD by targeting myocardial perfusion, metabolism, innervation, and inflammation. This article reviews old and newer used in nuclear cardiac imaging.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1007/s12350-017-1131-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

¹⁵O-labeled Water is the Best Myocardial Blood Flow Tracer for Precise MBF Quantification

“…It can therefore be distributed over vascular and extravascular spaces (1). Its distribution and clearance depend completely on the rate of blood flow.…”

“…Its distribution and clearance depend completely on the rate of blood flow. The tracer kinetics of 15 O-H2O show the linear relationship between myocardial perfusion and first-pass extraction (1). Therefore, 15 O-H2O is considered a standard for MBF measurement, remaining stable over a wide range of flow rates.…”

Radiopharmaceuticals for cardiac imaging: Current status and future trends

“…Different facets of cardiac metabolism have been studied with radiotracers. In the current issue of the Journal, Manabe et al 14 comprehensively reviewed the various radiotracers that are used to evaluate cardiac metabolism. Since the heart derives its energy from a variety of sources such as free fatty acids, glucose, lactate, and ketone bodies, it is possible to study cardiac metabolism using these sources.…”

Using radiation safely in cardiology: what imagers need to know

“…Conversion factors for DAP in ICA range from 0.18 mSv /Gy.cm 2 to 0.24 mSv/Gy.cm 2 8. In nuclear imaging, the effective dose can be calculated by multiplying the activity of administered radiopharmaceutical by a tracer-specific conversion factor 9. Uncertainties in dose estimation in nuclear imaging include errors in measuring administered activity and differences in patient pharmacokinetics and body habitus.…”