Read With the Experts: 4 High-Yield Cases with Teaching Points-Lesson 9.1

Lesson 9.1 - PET Cases (PET vs SPECT)

Video Transcription

Video Summary

A patient with BMI 35 and creatinine 2.5 underwent a cardiac evaluation revealing severe coronary artery calcium (CAC) and slight drops in ejection fraction (EF) during stress tests. Initial SPECT imaging was inconclusive due to diaphragmatic attenuation. A cardiac PET scan subsequently indicated mild to moderate ischemia, prompting coronary catheterization which identified critical stenosis. PET offers superior image quality and diagnostic accuracy over SPECT due to higher resolution, robust attenuation correction, and reduced radiation dose. PET also provides comprehensive risk assessment through a combination of perfusion imaging, stress EF, coronary calcium scoring, and myocardial flow reserve evaluation.

Keywords

cardiac PET

coronary catheterization

ischemia

ejection fraction

myocardial flow reserve