Bracco Diagnostics is highlighting a position statement on myocardial perfusion PET released by the American Society of Nuclear Cardiology (ASNC) and the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI).
The statement was published in the Journal of Nuclear Medicine on August 15. It explains why myocardial perfusion PET is useful in the diagnosis and management of coronary artery disease and provides guidance as to when it should be considered for optimal patient care, the company said.
Myocardial perfusion PET should be considered the preferred test for all patients who meet the appropriate criteria for a stress imaging test, are unable to complete diagnostic-level exercise, and require pharmacologic stress, according to lead author Dr. Timothy Bateman of Saint Luke's Health System in Kansas City, MO.
Bateman and colleagues also recommend myocardial perfusion PET in the following situations:
- When previous stress imaging is equivocal, of poor quality, or inconclusive
- For high-risk patients in whom diagnostic errors carry even greater clinical implications
- For patients with certain body characteristics that commonly affect image quality
- For younger patients to minimize accumulated lifetime radiation exposure
Bracco produces CardioGen-82, a PET perfusion agent approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for evaluating patients with suspected or existing coronary artery disease, the company said.
