The Evolution of the Role for Artificial Intelligence in Nuclear Cardiology - American College of Cardiology

The field of nuclear cardiology has evolved over the last several decades. The field has advanced from basic first-pass radionuclide ventriculography to gated myocardial perfusion imaging with single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) with solid state cadmium zinc telluride cameras. There has also been adjunctive use of computed tomography (CT) technology for attenuation correction with the benefit of utilizing the transmission CT image to obtain additional information on the presence or absence of coronary calcification for additional prognostic information. Additionally, there has also been development of gated myocardial perfusion acquisition with positron emission tomography (PET) and use of CT transmission imaging for attenuation correction as well. The utilization of PET cardiac imaging has led to the ability to assess myocardial blood flow, thus improving sensitivity and specificity of myocardial PET imaging.