Nuclear Medicine in the Circulatory System
摘要
Nuclear medicine provides important information for the diagnosis and management of several circulatory disorders. It provides noninvasive means for the evaluation of cardiac function. Myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) is a commonly performed nuclear medicine study to determine the adequacy of blood flow to the myocardium, especially in conjunction with exercise or pharmacological stress for the detection and evaluation of coronary artery disease (CAD). Myocardial perfusion studies can be obtained using different radioisotopes and protocols. The one-isotope protocol is commonly performed with Tc-99 m compounds. The dual-isotope protocol is performed using Tc-99 m compounds along with thallium-201. Positron-emitting radiotracers are used with added value in the evaluation and quantification of coronary artery disease as well as in the evaluation of myocardial metabolism and viability. Nuclear medicine also helps in the diagnosis of systemic vasculitis, soft tissue hemangioma, and lymphedema of the lower and upper extremities.