THE CONTEXT
Myocardial perfusion scanning uses an intravenously administered radioactive labelled agent that is rapidly taken up by the myocardium.
Tracer and image acquisition
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Technetium-tetrofosmin is an example of the radioactive isotope-labelled agents used.
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A gamma camera obtains myocardial scintiscans at rest and during stress.
Stress methods
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Stress may be produced by exercise or by pharmacological agents.
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Pharmacological stress can use the inotrope dobutamine or the vasodilator dipyridamole.
Positron emission tomography
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Positron emission tomography (PET) provides more sophisticated quantitative information and can assess myocardial metabolism.
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PET is available in only a few centres.