Heart Disease: How Can PET Make a Difference?

PET scans of the heart allow the study and quantification of various aspects of heart tissue function. Clinical studies show an important role for PET in diagnosing patients, describing disease and developing treatment strategy. Two areas of clinical application have emerged:

• Myocardial Perfusion: PET is the most accurate test to reveal whether or not a patient has coronary artery disease (CAD), also called coronary heart disease. Coronary heart disease is caused by accumulation of plaques within the walls of the arteries that supply blood to the myocardium (the muscle of the heart). Impaired blood flow to the heart muscle restricts its ability to function and pump blood to the body.
• Myocardial Viability: PET is the gold standard in determining the viability of heart tissue for revascularization. Decreased or absent blood flow to the heart muscle may imply that the heart is permanently damaged. PET can determine if there is permanent damage and whether bypass surgery or a transplant would be the appropriate treatment.

The American Heart Association says the body will likely send one or more of these warning signals of a heart attack: uncomfortable pressure, fullness, squeezing or pain in the center of the chest lasting more than a few minutes; pain spreading to the shoulders, neck or arms; chest discomfort with lightheadedness, fainting, sweating, nausea or shortness of breath.

Heart disease is the leading killer of Americans today, and a heart attack is the most visible sign of heart disease. Looking at specific age groups, cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death for age 65 and older; second for ages 25-64; third for ages 0-14; and fifth for ages 15-24. Heart disease is also the leading cause of death for American women.

The American Heart Association says the warning signs of stroke are: sudden numbness or weakness of face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body; sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding; sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes; sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination; sudden, severe headache with no known cause.