RADIONUCLIDE PERFUSION STUDIES OF THE MYOCARDIUM WITH POSITRON-EMITING RADIONUCLIDES: A REVIEW

Non-communicable diseases, coronary heart disease has ranked first among the causes of morbidity and mortality according to WHO over the past decade and a half in most developed countries. Molecular imaging techniques make it possible to detect this disease at an early stage, determine the prognosis, risks and the need for intervention. Radionuclide diagnostics can be widely used in patients with cardiac diseases to assess the viability of cardiomyocytes and myocardial perfusion and to detect the presence and extent of perfusion defects, stress-induced ischemia, and post-infarction changes using single photon emission computed tomography and positron emission tomography. Compared with foreign countries, radionuclide imaging methods are not currently widely used in cardiology practice in Russia. This review highlights the physical foundations of single-photon emission tomography and positron emission tomography, the physiological and pathophysiological basis of radiopharmaceutical uptake in myocardial tissue, the mechanisms and procedures for performing functional pharmacological and physical stress tests, and recent data in the field of radionuclide imaging of myocardial pathology. This review aims to acquaint the reader with the world practices of using positron-emitting radionuclides in diagnostic procedures, highlighting both their basic principles and the latest achievements in this area. The review focuses on the practice of using 82Rb in the assessment of myocardial perfusion, including in comparison with other positron-emitting radionuclides, as one of the promising areas of development in the diagnosis of coronary heart disease.