Combined CT-PET criteria for myocardial viability and scar: a preliminary report.

Identification of hibernating myocardium and its differentiation from scar tissue is an important clinical task for implementing different treatment options. The recognition of combined criteria in spiral-CT and PET for hibernating myocardium and scar will be important as hybrid CT-PET moves into the main stream of routine oncologic and cardiovascular imaging. A review of three cases, initially referred for CT evaluation of cardiac or pulmonary conditions with subsequent F-18 FDG body PET imaging, was presented for illustration as a combined CT-PET cardiac evaluation. The real value of this combined anatomical and functional evaluation will be with the upcoming concurrent CT and PET imaging using dedicated multi-slice CT-PET scanners.