Introduction to nuclear cardiology

The cardiologist of the early twenty-first century takes for granted the wide range of imaging modalities at his/her disposal, but it was not always so. At the beginning of the 1970s, invasive cardiac catheterization was the only reliable cardiac imaging technique. Subsequently, nuclear cardiology investigations led the way in the non-invasive assessment of cardiac disease. This chapter covers the history of nuclear cardiology, including important milestones in the development of nuclear medicine. It details the relation of nuclear cardiology to other imaging modalities, covering the common imaging modalities used to evaluate left ventricular function and coronary artery disease, and the challenges of multislice X-ray computed tomography.

Diagnosis of cardiomyopathies: tips and tricks for internists and general practitioners

Cardiomyopathies are little known to internists and general practitioners (GPs), and not always able to arouse the interest of cardiologists. Probably, this happens because cardiomyopathies are perceived as rare and complex disorders, a prerogative of a few dedicated centers. This may partly explain why the diagnosis of cardiomyopathy is often missed and, consequently, why cardiomyopathies are largely underdiagnosed. Internists and general practitioners should have an interest in these conditions, because cardiomyopathies are not as rare as generally perceived, and because their complexity can be unravelled with knowledge and methodology. Cardiomyopathies are defined as myocardial disorders in which the heart is structurally and functionally abnormal in the absence of coronary artery disease or abnormal loading conditions. Irrespective of the cardiac imaging technique used, a limited number of phenotypes are defined based on ventricular morphology and function. These <em>basic phenotypes</em> include hypertrophic, dilated, restrictive and right ventricular arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathies. Aim of this review is to describe a simplified approach to the detection of the underlying causes of specific phenotypes. We will focus our attention on the basic phenotypes, presenting a diagnostic work-up and a suggestive clinical case for each phenotype.

Introduction to nuclear cardiology

Introduction 2Important milestones 4Relation to other imaging modalities 6The cardiologist of the early twenty-first century takes for granted the wide range of imaging modalities at his/her disposal, but it was not always so. At the beginning of the 1970s, invasive cardiac catheterization was the only reliable cardiac imaging technique. Subsequently, nuclear cardiology investigations led the way in the non-invasive assessment of cardiac disease. Some of the principles underlying these investigations [e.g. electrocardiogram (ECG)-triggered gating] have also been of great importance in the development of other imaging modalities....