ChristianaCare is at the forefront of cardiac care, offering advanced diagnostic technologies like stress myocardial perfusion Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scans. This innovative technology enhances the accuracy of coronary artery disease diagnosis, particularly for patients who are obese or women with large breasts, where traditional stress tests may be less effective.
Medical professionals at ChristianaCare discuss the benefits of cardiac PET scan technology for improved heart health diagnoses.
Cardiac PET scans provide significant improvements over traditional Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT) scans. According to Hung Dam, M.D., associate medical director of Nuclear Medicine at ChristianaCare, PET scans are notably more time-efficient, typically completed within an hour, drastically reducing the three to four hours required for SPECT studies. This efficiency benefits both patients and medical staff.
Moreover, cardiac PET scans reduce radiation exposure for patients and monitoring staff compared to SPECT tests. Clinical studies also indicate that PET scans are more accurate in diagnosing heart conditions. The process involves injecting 82Rubidium chloride, a radioactive tracer, into the patient’s bloodstream. A specialized PET camera then detects this tracer as it flows through the cardiac vasculature, creating high-resolution images of the heart.
Dr. Erik Marshall, medical director of ChristianaCare’s Non-invasive Cardiology Laboratory, highlights another crucial patient benefit: the technology significantly minimizes false positive results. This is especially advantageous for patients with abundant soft tissue, which can often complicate obtaining precise results with conventional methods.
For individuals seeking advanced and efficient cardiac diagnostic services, ChristianaCare’s adoption of cardiac PET scan technology represents a significant step forward in providing accurate and timely diagnoses for improved heart health management.
