Purpose: Myocardial perfusion with PET/CT has advantages over conventional SPECT. We describe our initial European experience using (82)Rubidium-PET/CT, as part of a clinical myocardial perfusion service.
Methods: We studied the first 100 patients (64 male; 36 female, mean age = 60: SD +/-12.5y, mean body mass index = 30: SD +/-6.9kg/m( 2 )) who underwent (82)Rubidium cardiac PET/CT in our institution. Thirty patients had recently undergone coronary angiography. Patients underwent imaging during adenosine infusion and at rest. Images were acquired over 5 minutes using a GE-PET/CT instrument. Image quality was described as good, adequate or inadequate. Images were reported patient-by-patient by a minimum of five nuclear medicine physicians. A segment-by-segment analysis (17-segment model) was also performed.
Results: Image quality was good in 77%, adequate 23% and inadequate 0%. There was no statistical difference in image quality between obese and non-obese patients (Fisher's exact test, p = 0.2864). 59% had normal perfusion studies, 29% had inducible ischaemia, 12% had myocardial infarction (11% with super added ischaemia). There was reduced (82)Rubidium uptake in 132/1700 segments during stress. There was reduced (82)Rubidium uptake at rest in 42/1700 segments. The (82)Rubidium PET/CT findings were consistent with the angiographic findings in 28/30 cases.
Conclusion: We show that, even from initial use of (82)Rubidium, it is possible to perform myocardial perfusion studies quickly with good image quality, even in the obese. The PET findings correlated well in the third of the cases where angiography was available. As such, (82)Rubidium cardiac PET/CT is likely to be an exciting addition to the European nuclear physician/ cardiologist's radionuclide imaging arsenal.