The American Society of Nuclear Cardiology (ASNC) and the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging jointly released a position statement encouraging the use of myocardial perfusion PET in certain clinical situations.

“Myocardial perfusion PET is a robust nuclear cardiology test that supports [CMS's] initiatives to improve the quality and efficiency of healthcare while controlling costs,” noted Brian Abbott, MD, ASNC President. "Myocardial perfusion PET, because of its unique properties, is the right test, at the right time for certain patient populations."

These populations include patients with established coronary artery disease, those with body characteristics that negatively affect image quality, and high-risk patients where diagnostic errors could create problems down the line, such as late stage kidney disease.

"For diagnosing coronary artery disease, myocardial perfusion PET imaging out performs other tests because of its high diagnostic accuracy, low radiation exposure, short image acquisition time,” said Vasken Dilsizian, MD, lead author of the Guideline and professor of radiology and medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore.