Cardiac Micro-PET-CT

Molecular imaging is a rapidly emerging field, with the use of multi-modality or hybrid technology scanners for in vivo investigations covering a broad spectrum of disease. Cardiac micro-PET-CT is one such promising multimodality. Standalone imaging technologies such as PET and CT have existed for several decades, however, they have only recently been utilized in concert, mainly for clinical cancer imaging. Cardiovascular events are responsible for nearly one-third of deaths in North America every year. Atherosclerosis, coronary artery disease (CAD), and heart failure are the most common types of heart disease. Cardiac imaging-related research into their prevention and treatment has contributed to a decrease in mortality. This review outlines the recent progress in the development and application of advanced cardiac micro-PET-CT technology. Current development of novel PET radiotracers focusing on diagnosis and characterization of different stages of atherosclerosis is discussed, as well as myocardial perfusion radiotracers mimicking previously established SPECT tracers and others. Small animal (mouse and rat) models of disease investigated with cardiac imaging are becoming more common, and will facilitate rapid translation to clinical studies with improvement in micro-PET-CT technology. Also, increasingly popular animal models for cardiovascular disease research such as mini-pigs and rabbits are used with interventional therapies, including catheterization due to larger artery sizes. The emergence of cardiac CT will be discussed with comparison between preclinical and clinical approaches, including consideration of radiation doses.