Mapping COVID-19 functional sequelae: the perspective of nuclear medicine.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection is capable of affecting several organs. Direct viral toxicity, pro-inflammatory and pro-thrombotic induction, endothelial damage, immune imbalance, and dysregulation of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system are the mechanisms underlying the viral potential of multiple organ damage. The impairment of four organs stands out among severe patients: lung, heart, kidney, and endothelium.

Prevalence and predictors of left intraventricular dyssynchrony determined by phase analysis in patients undergoing gatedSPECT myocardial perfusion imaging.

Left ventricular dyssynchrony (LVD) is an independent predictor of adverse cardiovascular events, death, and progression to heart failure. Myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) with ECG-gated single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) can be used to diagnose LVD rapidly and automatically using phase analysis (PA). The objective of this study was to evaluate the prevalence and predictors of LVD in patients undergoing MPI.

A new myocardial perfusion scintigraphy stress protocol combining dipyridamole-dobutamine-atropine.

Background: Pharmacological stress is often used, and the drugs most frequently utilized are dipyridamole (Dip) and dobutamine (Dob). We aimed to evaluate the safety and the results obtained with a new protocol associating Dip, Dob, and atropine, compared with the Dip protocol.

Methods: Thirty-two patients underwent rest Tl/Dip stress Tc-sestamibi myocardial perfusion tomography on the same day.

PET/CT and vascular disease: current concepts.

Since its introduction in 2001, positron emission tomography associated to computed tomography (PET/CT) has been established as a standard tool in cancer evaluation. Being a multimodality imaging method, it combines in a single session the sensitivity granted by PET for detection of molecular targets within the picomolar range, with an underlying submilimetric resolution inherent to CT, that can precisely localize the PET findings. In this last decade, there have been new insights regarding the pathophysiology of atherosclerosis, particularly about plaque rupture and vascular remodeling.

Predictors of abnormal heart rate response to dipyridamole in patients undergoing myocardial perfusion SPECT.

Objective: To identify predictors of abnormal HR response to dipyridamole (DIP) in patients undergoing myocardial perfusion SPECT (MPS).

Background: Patients with a reduced heart rate (HR) response to DIP have higher cardiac mortality, but the mechanism is unknown.

Methods: We studied 432 patients who underwent dual-isotope gated MPS.