Taking it to heart: Hybrid PET for CAD

Two is better than one. At least that may prove to be the case with hybrid approaches that combine PET’s ability to assess myocardial blood flow with other modalities for diagnosing coronary artery disease.

CT-based coronary angiography (CTCA), which allows radiologists and cardiologists to visualize anatomical traits of coronary arteries, shines as a way to rule out obstructive CAD. But it falls short on its ability to confirm significant obstruction, which then requires invasive procedures such as fractional flow reserve (FFR) for functional assessment. PET, on the other hand, offers a highly sensitive and noninvasive modality for detecting perfusion defects to gauge the hemodynamic severity of the disease. Read more.