Cardiac PET and PET/CT

Sunday, April 3, 2:00-3:30 PM

The rise of the importance of PET and PET/CT has several root causes, but cardiac PET is increasingly being viewed as more than a niche imaging modality. Not only does cardiac PET work well as a secondary imaging choice for inconclusive SPECT studies, but it is becoming the focal point of practices interested in boosting their bottom line, increasing patient satisfaction and gaining more diagnostic information per scan.

PET probably won't replace SPECT, at least any time soon, but like others who have adopted the cardiac PET, you might find it has a place in your practice or facility. This session covers all the basics to get you up and running.

Speaking Information
  • Sharmila Dorbala, MD, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston -- PET and PET/CT: Basic Principles, Protocols and
  • Gary V. Heller, MD, Hartford Hospital, Hartford, Conn. -- SPECT versus PET: Diagnostic and Prognostic Comparisons
  • Panithaya Chareonthaitawee, MD, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. -- Myocardial Viability: Basic Physiology, Pathophysiology and Clinical Importance
  • Sabahat Bokhari, MD, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, New York City -- Cardiac PET in Assessment of Myocardial Viability: Protocols, Patient Preparation
  • Jamshid Maddahi, MD, University of California, Los Angeles -- PET versus Other Viability Assessment Techniques: When to Use What
  • Timothy M. Bateman, MD, St. Luke's Health System, Kansas City, Mo. -- Integration of PET Into Clinical Practice: Case Illustrations

Around the web

RBMA President Peter Moffatt discusses some of the biggest obstacles facing the specialty in the new year. 

Deepak Bhatt, MD, director of the Mount Sinai Fuster Heart Hospital and principal investigator of the TRANSFORM trial, explains an emerging technique for cardiac screening: combining coronary CT angiography with artificial intelligence for plaque analysis to create an approach similar to mammography.

A total of 16 cardiology practices from 12 states settled with the DOJ to resolve allegations they overbilled Medicare for imaging agents used to diagnose cardiovascular disease.