Promising new techniques for cardiovascular PET

In the current issue of Cardiovascular Innovations and Applications volume 4, issue 1, pp. 13-24(12) ; DOI https://doi.org/10.15212/CVIA.2019.0004, Austin A. Robinson, MD and Jamieson M. Bourque, MD, MHS from the Cardiovascular Division and the Cardiovascular Imaging Center, Department of Medicine, University of Virginia Health System, Charlottesville, VA, USA consider emerging techniques for cardiovascular PET.

Positron emission tomography (PET) has been successfully applied to an increasing number of cardiovascular conditions. The authors highlight the status of cardiovascular PET, including the present state of the art and the expanding pool of clinical evidence guiding its use. Additionally, upcoming developments in the field are highlighted, including the development of new tracers and applications of PET to novel indications within cardiovascular medicine.

From its origin in diagnosing coronary artery stenoses, cardiovascular PET has grown into a staple of contemporary cardiovascular care, with impending advances touching all corners of the field, including new tracers and absolute flow assessment in CAD and CMD and characterization of lesions in vascular plaques, cardiac valves, the myocardium, and implanted devices. In addition to its breadth of application, cardiovascular PET offers critical diagnostic information, informs prognosis, and has the potential to impact care. Given these strengths and ongoing advances, the present use of cardiovascular PET is bright and its future potential is enormous.