Four nuclear medicine societies have issued a new clinical guideline for F-18 flurpiridaz PET myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) and blood flow quantitation.
The guideline was co-published in The Journal of Nuclear Medicine and the Journal of Nuclear Cardiology. It is intended to assist nuclear cardiology practitioners in the optimal application of F-18 flurpiridaz PET for MPI. It includes recommendations for patient selection, imaging protocols, and interpretation of results.
The document highlights MPI as a cornerstone of noninvasive assessment of myocardial ischemia. It can be performed with SPECT or PET. Clinical studies have shown that MPI provides superior image quality, improved diagnostic accuracy, and greater sensitivity in detecting clinically significant coronary artery stenosis compared with conventional SPECT agents.
It also includes information on clinical indications, contraindications, considerations for F-18 flurpiridaz PET, and considerations for technologists.
The following societies developed the guideline: The Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI), the American Society of Nuclear Cardiology (ASNC), the European Association of Nuclear Medicine (EANM), and the American College of Nuclear Medicine (ACNM).