Hybrid PET/CT and SPECT/CT scanners allow simultaneous assessment of function and coronary anatomy, improving the diagnosis of viable myocardium.
Metabolic cardiac imaging with [18F]-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) and positron emission tomography (PET) has been established as the diagnostic and prognostic gold standard. This is usually combined with a perfusion scan, as the classical diagnostic finding is the so-called flow–metabolism mismatch (low flow, preserved FDG uptake). Hybrid PET/computed tomography (CT) and single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT)/CT scanners add a new dimension to non invasive diagnostic procedures, as they allow simultaneous assessment of function (metabolism or perfusion) and coronary anatomy. Hybrid imaging can integrate metabolic FDG information with CT-visualized anatomy, thus providing a new approach for diagnosing dysfunctional but viable myocardium by directly visualizing information on viability in segments subtended by severely stenosed/occluded coronary vessels.
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Philipp A. Kaufmann (2007) studied this question.
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