Breast uptake on a myocardial perfusion scan

Area of Science:

• Nuclear medicine
• Medical imaging
• Cardiology

Background:

• Myocardial perfusion scans (MPS) are primarily used for diagnosing coronary artery disease.
• Standard MPS protocols are not optimized for detecting extrathoracic or breast pathologies.
• Incidental findings on medical imaging require careful evaluation.

Observation:

• A 42-year-old female patient presented for MPS to assess coronary artery disease.
• Initial review of raw and cine loop MPS images showed unexpected tracer accumulation in the chest.
• Short-axis slices and low-dose CT images (used for attenuation correction) were analyzed.

Findings:

• Fusion of MPS and CT images localized the focal tracer uptake to nodular breast masses.
• The observed uptake indicated concurrent breast pathology not initially sought by the scan.
• This highlights the potential for MPS to reveal unexpected findings.

Implications:

• MPS, while not designed for breast imaging, can identify concurrent breast pathologies.
• Thorough review of unprocessed MPS images and utilization of image fusion software are crucial.
• This approach enhances diagnostic yield and can lead to early detection of incidental breast findings.