Radioiodinated free fatty acids; can we measure myocardial metabolism?

To investigate the feasibility of radioiodinated free fatty acids for 'metabolic imaging', the kinetics and distribution pattern of metabolites of 131I-heptadecanoic acid were studied in canine myocardium throughout metabolic interventions. In control dogs and in dogs during glucose/insulin and sodium lactate infusion, biopsy specimens were taken during a 90-min period after 131I-HDA administration and analyzed. Clearly distinct patterns of distribution and elimination were seen during the metabolic interventions, indicating the usefulness of iodinated fatty acids for metabolic studies.