In this Editorial MF Di Carli, who has a great experience in nuclear cardiology imaging in USA, explains why he predicts a central role of PET imaging in nuclear cardiology. The pathobiology of coronary artery disease is changing with the rise of cardiometabolic disease such as obesity, metabolic syndrome and diabetes. In this situation, absolute quantification of myocardial blood flow and flow reserve using PET with rubidium-82, which is a marker of epicardial stenosis, diffuse atherosclerosis and microvascular dysfunction, offers a definite advantage in higher-risk patients with regard to standard SPECT with Tc-99m. It offers a powerful opportunity to tackle these new challenges.
Marcelo F. Di Carli
Journal of Nuclear Medicine September 2021, 62 (9) 1189-1191;