Positron Emission Tomography

Positron Emission Tomography (PET) in cardiology is a 3D imaging method which measures myocardial activity after intravenous injection of a radiopharmaceutical agent including a positron-emitting radionuclide.

In cardiology, PET imaging of coronary disease consists in injecting at stress/rest a positron emitting radionuclide (rubidium-82 or nitrogen-13) or a molecule labelled with a positron emitting radionuclide such as Fluorine 18. These radiopharmaceutical agents are taken up by the myocardium at their first pass in heart and are distributed in the myocardium depending on regional perfusion.

Then PET allows an absolute quantification of blood flow in all myocardium at rest and stress.

The positron camera which records the distribution of radiopharmaceutical according to time is associated to a CT scanner which in addition to the fonctionnal information of PET brings an anatomical information which allows an attenuation correction for tissues located between myocardium and detector of the positron camera