Abstract
Purpose PET perfusion imaging with 82Rb is a powerful tool for evaluating coronary artery disease (CAD). Little is known about normal patterns or significance of 82Rb lung distribution in the setting of heart disease. Herein, PET/CT hybrid imaging was used to obtain insights into the frequency and potential radiomorphologic correlates of altered 82Rb distribution. Methods Myocardial perfusion PET/CT studies of 58 patients referred for workup of CAD were analyzed [28 normal and 30 patients with low left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF)]. Organ regions of interest were placed on PET images, and 82Rb uptake was measured and compared under resting and stress conditions. Results Qualitatively increased lung uptake was observed in 13 patients-5 with normal LVEFR and 8 with reduced LVEFR; 12 of 13 had lung infiltrates/atelectasis on CT. Lung to heart ratios in the normal and low EF groups were (mean ± SD) 0.168±0.047 and 0.171±0.075 at rest, and 0.128±0.035 and 0.147±0.067 during stress (p=0.87 and 0.18, respectively). Lung to liver ratios were not significantly different between the two groups under stress or rest conditions. Conclusion Increased lung uptake of 82Rb occurs in a subset of patients referred for workup of CAD by PET/CT and may be influenced by primary parenchymal abnormalities and LV dysfunction. Thus, the relevance of pulmonary 82Rb uptake as a marker of cardiac outcome may be limited. Larger studies are needed to determine how non-cardiac 82Rb uptake and CT findings may be integrated to increase the diagnostic and prognostic value of cardiac PET/CT.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 479-484 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Journal | European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging |
Volume | 38 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Mar 2011 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Biodistribution
- Cardiovascular disease
- Positron emission tomography
- Rubidium
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Radiology Nuclear Medicine and imaging