Nuclear Cardiology and Cardiac Magnetic Resonance

This book offers a view of the clinical potential of nuclear medical techniques (including nuclear and magnetic resonance) in the practice of cardiology. It is based on 15 review publications which cover important areas in clinical cardiovascular nuclear medicine. The book has been divided into three sections: physiology, techniques and clinical applications. The physiology section deals with the nuclear medicine background of myocardial perfusion, myocardial metabolism and cardiac function. The techniques section discusses the planar techniques, in particular for the perfusion tracer thallium-201, the Single Photon Emmision Tomography (PET) technique. This section also addresses the physical background of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). The clinical applications section discusses the value of Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (MRS). Chapter 15 describes the latest developments in nuclear cardiology with an emphasis on new cardiac imaging agents. The book should assist the clinical cardiologist, the cardiology resident, the nuclear medicine physicial and the radiologist in understanding the currently used cardiovascular nuclear medicine techniques.