ABSTRACT
This chapter provides future applications of cardiac positron emission tomography (PET)/magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) based on published research and clinical examples. Myocardial perfusion imaging with PET has long been seen as a reference method for validation of other diagnostic approaches. C-hydroxyephedrine (HED) is the most commonly used PET tracer used to measure sympathetic integrity. Cardiac sarcoid is a potentially fatal condition that presents with a wide range of clinical manifestations including conduction abnormalities, tachyarrhythmia, congestive heart failure, cardiomyopathy, and sudden cardiac death. Anderson-Fabry disease is a rare, X-linked, genetic disorder caused by mutations in the gene that encodes the lysosomal enzyme, alpha-galactosidase A. Cardiac involvement is the most common cause of premature mortality. Amyloidosis is a clinical disorder that arises from the aggregation of insoluble fibrous deposits of misfolded proteins. Several PET tracers have been used to image atherosclerotic plaques.
