Nuclear Imaging

With the advent and optimization of nuclear scintigraphy protocols using bone-avid radiotracers, cardiac amyloidosis caused by transthyretin protein (ATTR) can now be diagnosed noninvasively without a costly tissue biopsy. The radiotracer 99mTc-pyrophosphate (99mTc-PYP) binds to deposited ATTR amyloid fibrils in the myocardium and can be visualized using planar and SPECT imaging. This is Figure 2, showing how SPECT imaging allows the reader to distinguish between blood pool activity (ventricular cavity, etc) and myocardial activity and identify regional myocardial differences in radiotracer uptake.

Anyone involved in cardiac imaging was surprised to see the first image of a black hole (left), because of its very familiar appearance to a nuclear myocardial perfusion exam. This was the subject of a blog, which rapidly became the most read piece of DAIC content in April 2019. 

SyncVision iFR Co-registration from Philips Healthcare maps pressure readings onto angiogram. Results from an international study presented at ACC 2019 indicates pressure readings obtained using iFR (instantaneous wave-free ratio, also referred to as instant wave-free ratio or instant flow reserve) in coronary arteries may localize stenoses that remain after interventions.

This is a 3-D view of blood flow through the chambers of a fetal heart using the GE Healthcare fetalHQ analysis software.