Cardiac Imaging in Heart Failure

The prevalence of patients with heart failure (HF) is increasing in the U.S. and now constitutes approximately six million Americans. Despite advances in treatment strategies, outcomes in patients with HF are poor, especially in patients with left ventricular function less than 35% (normal 55–75%) (Curtis et al., J Am Coll Cardiol 42(4):736–42, 2003). Treatment plans for patients with heart failure are initially based upon whether the heart failure is due to ischemia (ischemic cardiomyopathy) or other causes (non-ischemic cardiomyopathy). This chapter will present the role of nuclear cardiac imaging in the evaluation and management of heart failure patients using information gleened from these procedures.