Assessment of chest pain by nuclear cardiology techniques.

This article reviews the nuclear cardiology techniques which can be used to assess chest pain. Nuclear techniques can potentially give valuable information on the location and extent of myocardial perfusion abnormalities, the assessment of myocardial viability, and/or presence of myocardial necrosis and the effects, both regional and global, of myocardial ischemia on myocardial function. The article reviews specific tests available and their indications and indicates the usefulness of these techniques for the clinician managing myocardial ischemia.