Utility of nuclear cardiovascular imaging in the cardiac intensive care unit

Contemporary Review of Multi-Modality Cardiac Imaging Evaluation of Infective Endocarditis

“…Radiolabeled leukocyte scintigraphy (WBC SPECT/CT) is another nuclear imaging modality that can be complementary in establishing the diagnosis of IE [ 57 , 86 , 87 ]. It has demonstrated high specificity early (<3 months) after prosthetic valve or device insertion, when 18 F-FDG-PET has limited diagnostic ability [ 88 ]. It offers the advantage of intracardiac and extracardiac evaluations in a single study and is clinically useful for diagnosing septic emboli.…”

Optimizing patient centered care in the cardiac intensive care unit: Harness the safety, effectiveness, and incremental value of radionuclide perfusion, function, and molecular imaging

“…In the current issue of the Journal, Schenone et al provide an overview of the safety and utility of radionuclide imaging of patients in the coronary intensive care unit (CICU). 3 The authors note that the evaluation of CICU patients is guided by several considerations: (1) Is the current presentation driven by myocardial ischemia or solely represent a progression of cardiomyopathy?, (2) Do benefits of revascularization outweigh the risks on the basis of myocardium at risk?, and (3) Which vessels/territories would benefit from revascularization? A fourth consideration in their review is the influence of other disease processes that may contribute to the presentation of the acutely ill patient in the CICU.…”