Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 22, 2026

Cardiac Magnetic Resonance for the Evaluation of Suspected Cardiac Thrombus: Conventional and Emerging Techniques
Published on: June 11, 2019
Clinical usefulness of novel cardiac MDCT/SPECT fusion image
Shinro Matsuo1, Kenichi Nakajima, Nasima Akhter
1Department of Nuclear Medicine, Kanazawa University Hospital, 13-1 Takara-machi, Kanazawa 920-8641, Japan. smatsuo@nmd.m.kanazawa-u.ac.jp
Background:
We evaluated the relationship between computed tomography angiography (CTA) and SPECT, and assessed to determine the clinical usefulness of the fusion image using CTA and myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI).
Methods:
Forty-one consecutive patients [after coronary artery bypass operation (n = 13) and suspected stenosis (n = 28)] underwent MPI and CTA. SPECT/CTA fused images were generated.
Results:
In total, 687 segments including bypass graft in 164 coronary arteries were analyzed. Myocardial ischemia on MPI was observed in 11 patients among 28 with CTA abnormalities, one had both ischemia and infarction, and 7 had only infarction. Segment-based analysis showed that ischemia was found in 14 segments (24%) among 59 stenoses on CTA. Forty stenotic segments (69%) were not associated with perfusion abnormality. The rest 5 stenotic segments were considered equivocal (8%). A fusion image made it possible to associate perfusion defects with its corresponding coronary artery in 4 out of 5 equivocal lesions on side-by-side analysis. Patients with incremental diagnostic information on SPECT/CTA fusion (n = 4) had significant smaller coronary diameter than that of not-improved coronary vessels (2.0 +/- 0.4 vs. 3.9 +/- 0.4 mm, p = 0.001).
Conclusion:
Cardiac fusion imaging accurately diagnosed functionally relevant coronary stenosis. SPECT/CTA fusion images in coronary artery disease may provide added diagnostic information on functional relevance of coronary artery disease.
More Related Videos
08:13In Vivo Quantitative Assessment of Myocardial Structure, Function, Perfusion and Viability Using Cardiac Micro-computed Tomography
Published on: February 16, 2016
12:15Tissue Preparation Techniques for Contrast-Enhanced Micro Computed Tomography Imaging of Large Mammalian Cardiac Models with Chronic Disease
Published on: February 8, 2022
Related Concept Videos
Imaging Studies for Cardiovascular System V: CT
Imaging Studies for Cardiovascular System IV: CMRI
Magnetic Resonance Imaging