Purpose of review: PET myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) is an established modality for the evaluation of ischemic heart disease and quantitation of myocardial blood flow (MBF). New F-18-labelled radiopharmaceuticals have been recently developed to overcome some of the limitations of currently used tracers such as the need of an on-site cyclotron. The characteristics of the new tracers and the clinical results obtained so far will be reviewed.
Recent findings: Most of the interest in the field of 18F-labelled radiotracers for PET MPI has been concentrated on MC-1 inhibitors, the prototype of which is 18F-flurpiridaz. It was shown in experimental and clinical reports that these radiotracers allow good quality rest/stress MPI studies and a reliable quantitation of MBF. Recent evidence suggests that PET MPI with 18F-flurpiridaz may provide a superior diagnostic accuracy for obstructive CAD even if a large comparative clinical trial with SPECT is still ongoing.
Keywords: 18F-labelled radiotracers; Cardiac imaging; Coronary artery disease; Myocardial blood flow; Myocardial perfusion imaging; Positron emission tomography.