PET scanning has a place in the diagnosis and management of heart disease, coronary artery disease in patients with diabetes mellitus, cardiomyopathy, following cardiac transplantation and in patients with left ventricular dysfunction, among others.

Ample data exists that shows a utility for this technology in predicting cardiac events in patients with advanced coronary artery disease and left ventricular dysfunction, whether hibernating myocardium or not, and the influence of the form of management, whether by surgery or medical management. The body of literature would suggest that PET scanning is very helpful in delineating hibernating myocardium and in that role has good predictive value of positive outcomes for surgical revascularization in patients with “significant” amounts of hibernating myocardium. Patients determined to have hibernating myocardium in association with coronary artery disease and left ventricular dysfunction have a reduced incidence of cardiac events, improved survival, and improved ejection fraction following coronary artery bypass surgery when compared to patients with minimal hibernating myocardium, coronary artery disease and left ventricular dysfunction.

Cardiologists and cardiac surgeons can utilize PET scanning in order to more properly select patients with coronary artery disease who may be questionable candidates for surgical revascularization. Incorporating “new” technology like PET, although expensive, can be very helpful in selecting patients who can safely undergo coronary artery bypass grafting with the hopes of reducing cardiac events and improving postoperative ejection fraction and quality of life.

Image of PET Scanner, accessed from samc.com on April 10, 2005

PET scan image of the heart - different views