Nuclear Cardiology in the Management of Patients with Heart Failure

Heart failure is increasing worldwide, resulting in considerable disability, mortality, and high healthcare costs. Gated-SPECT or PET imaging is the most prominent imaging modality useful both for diagnosis and prognosis, capable of providing information about ventricular function, presence of intraventricular synchronism, and myocardial perfusion in the same test. In addition, PET can also offer quantification of coronary blood flow and metabolism. On the other hand, 123 I- metaiodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) scintigraphy is the only imaging technique which provides information regarding the adrenergic function of the heart. This review provides an overview of the literature published over the past year relevant to this topic, presented in three parts: myocardial perfusion imaging, intraventricular synchronism assessment, and cardiac sympathetic innervation. © 2015, Springer Science+Business Media New York.