11^th International Heart Conference

Nuclear Cardiology

The use of nuclear imaging techniques for the non-invasive study of cardiovascular disease, as in myocardial perfusion imaging, planar imaging, SPECT (single-photon-emission computed tomography), and infarction imaging. Cardiac nuclear medicine imaging evaluates the heart for coronary artery disease and cardiomyopathy. It also may be used to help determine whether the heart has been damaged by chemotherapy or radiotherapy. Nuclear medicine uses small amounts of radioactive materials called radiotracers that are typically injected into the bloodstream, inhaled or swallowed. The radiotracer travels through the area being examined and gives off energy in the form of gamma rays which are detected by a special camera and a computer to create images of the inside of your body. Nuclear medicine imaging provides unique information that often cannot be obtained using other imaging procedures.