Diagnostic techniques in cardiovascular nuclear medicine

"Hot-spot" and "cold-spot" myocardial imaging and first-pass and gated equilibrium blood pool studies are the most common cardiovascular nuclear medicine procedures. The data provided by these tests may be vitally important in making decisions, primarily in patients with suspected coronary artery disease. These studies are best performed where there is close coordination between the cardiovascular specialist and the nuclear medicine department. We believe that only a minority of patients with heart disease require these tests, but for those in whom they are indicated, the information obtained can be invaluable.