Incremental Value of Hybrid PET/CT in Patients with Coronary Artery Disease

The noninvasive diagnosis of coronary artery disease (CAD) is a challenging task. Traditionally, myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) has been widely used for this purpose whereby cardiac positron emission tomography (PET) is considered the gold standard. Alternatively, noninvasive anatomical imaging of coronary atherosclerosis with coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) has recently been successfully implemented in clinical practice. Cardiac hybrid imaging consists of the fusion of these modalities and provides detailed information on the presence and extent of CAD including its functional consequences on myocardial perfusion. This type of comprehensive imaging, obtained within a single session using a PET/CT scanner, appears to have superior diagnostic and prognostic value as compared with either stand-alone test. This review discusses the literature on the incremental value of hybrid cardiac PET/CT imaging for patients suspected of CAD.

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