Novel Depiction of Collateral Flow in Chronic Thromboembolic Pulmonary Hypertension Using 4D Dynamic 82 Rb PET/CT

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Imaging
• Nuclear Medicine
• Pulmonary Hypertension Research

Background:

• Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) diagnosis typically relies on CT pulmonary angiogram and V/Q scintigraphy.
• Current roles for PET/CT and MRI in pulmonary embolism evaluation are limited.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the potential of incidentally captured dynamic pulmonary perfusion images from myocardial PET/CT in a CTEPH patient.
• To highlight a novel imaging paradigm for assessing pulmonary perfusion in CTEPH.

Main Methods:

• A patient with a history of CTEPH underwent 82Rb myocardial perfusion PET/CT for chest pain evaluation.
• Analysis focused on incidentally obtained dynamic pulmonary perfusion imaging data.

Main Results:

• PET data analysis demonstrated delayed perfusion in affected lung lobes.
• This finding suggests the development of collateral circulation in the context of CTEPH.

Conclusions:

• Incidental PET/CT imaging may offer a new method for evaluating pulmonary perfusion in CTEPH.
• This approach could reveal collateralization, aiding in CTEPH assessment.