Radiopharmaceutical tracers for cardiac imaging.

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular nuclear medicine
• Radiopharmaceutical science

Background:

• Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a major global health burden.
• Nuclear myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) is crucial for CVD diagnosis, therapy monitoring, and event prediction.
• Established techniques include single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and positron emission tomography (PET).

Purpose of the Study:

• To review established and emerging radiopharmaceutical tracers for nuclear cardiac imaging.
• To highlight advancements in evaluating myocardial perfusion, metabolism, innervation, and inflammation.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing literature on nuclear cardiac imaging tracers.
• Discussion of both traditional and novel radiopharmaceuticals.

Main Results:

• Nuclear imaging plays a vital role in assessing various aspects of cardiac health.
• Recent developments have expanded the range of targets for CVD evaluation using nuclear tracers.

Conclusions:

• Nuclear cardiac imaging, utilizing a spectrum of radiopharmaceuticals, remains indispensable for comprehensive cardiovascular disease management.
• Emerging tracers promise enhanced diagnostic and prognostic capabilities by targeting diverse myocardial pathologies.