ABSTRACT
This final chapter is not intended to be an exhaustive account of the clinical applications of nuclear cardiology and myocardial perfusion scintigraphy (MPS) in particular. This information may be found in the comprehensive texts and reviews1 devoted to the subject and the detailed guidelines published by the relevant societies.2,3 Here we aim to provide an overview of what the cardiologist wants from nuclear cardiology and what we in nuclear cardiology offer the cardiologist. There is an intentional clinical bias, discussing the patient groups in whom myocardial perfusion imaging is of particular diagnostic and prognostic value. We include several relevant clinical cases to highlight some of the points raised. Novel nuclear cardiological techniques (for example cardiac neurotransmitter, receptor and molecular imaging) are currently more research-orientated, not widely available in the UK, and beyond the remit of this practical handbook.
