We herein present the results of the second survey on SPECT and PET myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland in 2024. A questionnaire was sent to facilities practicing nuclear medicine. Data from 12 Austrian (10,689 SPECT), 198 German (128,707 SPECT), and 16 Swiss departments (11,593 MPI (2,911 SPECT; 8,682 PET)) were analysed. In Austria and Germany, the PET MPI numbers were negligible and not considered. In Austria 50%, in Germany 69%, and in Switzerland 69% of the facilities reported stable or increasing numbers of examinations compared to the 2021 survey. Ambulatory care cardiologists represented the major referral group (46-71%). Most stress tests were performed pharmacologically (57-96%). In SPECT imaging, the one-day protocol was predominant in Switzerland (77%), while the two-day protocol was used in Austria (41%) and Germany (49%). The primary camera systems used were hybrid SPECT-CT systems in Austria (75%) and Switzerland (100%), and SPECT cameras (without CT) in Germany (56%). Attenuation correction was regularly performed in Switzerland (100%), followed by Austria (74%), and Germany (35%). Both gated SPECT and perfusion scoring were frequently applied (gated SPECT 82-99%; perfusion scoring 82-88%). This second joint survey for 2024 confirms positive trends in MPI imaging in all three countries, albeit with differences. The results document a high level of guideline conformity. The situation in Switzerland is exceptional due to the widespread use of PET-MPI. Switzerland also leads in terms of camera equipment and attenuation correction followed by Austria and Germany.
Lindner et al. (Fri,) studied this question.