ABSTRACT
The main clinical application of cardiac hybrid imaging so far has been the evaluation of coronary artery disease (CAD). It is well known that the angiographic severity of coronary lesion is a poor predictor of its hemodynamic significance. The rapid development in imaging technology and processing software during the last decade has facilitated the fast clinical utilization of cardiac hybrid imaging. Cardiac hybrid imaging was stimulated by the successful application of hybrid whole-body positron emission tomography (PET)-computed tomography (CT) in oncology. This chapter discusses the benefits and future possibilities of hybrid PET-CT imaging in the evaluation of cardiac diseases in the light of available clinical data. Computed tomographic angiography (CTA) enables direct visualization of coronary stenoses through the use of intravenous iodinated contrast. Cardiac PET-CT imaging holds a great promise for the detection of CAD and assessment of the severity of the cardiovascular disease.
