Abstract
Both computed tomography (CT) and positron emission tomography (PET) may be useful in addition to echocardiography and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging to study cardiac tumors. CT scan may be used as an alternative imaging modality in patients who cannot undergo MR because it is contraindicated or in patients already examined with other noninvasive methods without obtaining adequate images. High-speed equipments with electrocardiographic (ECG) gating can provide images with resolution <1 mm; multiplanar and tridimensional reconstructions are also possible. PET is based on the detection of metabolic activity after injection of radionuclides. The most commonly used tracing in oncology is fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG), which concentrates in tissue with high glucose metabolism. PET is usually performed together with computed tomography (PET/CT). To quantify the glucose metabolism, the maximum standardized uptake value (SUV) is used. Malignant tumors have usually a high SUV, which may increase with the proliferative index. Some other organs, such as the liver and heart, may have variable uptake according to different metabolic conditions. The myocardial 18FDG uptake may vary widely between different patients and – in the same patient – between different exams. In order to improve the accuracy of 18FDG-PET in cardiac tumor imaging, a carbohydrate- poor and fat-rich meal followed by a fasting period of 12–18 h is suggested before the exam.
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Urbani, M., Borsatti, E., Baresic, T. (2017). Other Imaging Techniques: Computed Tomography and Positron Emission Tomography. In: Lestuzzi, C., Oliva, S., Ferraù, F. (eds) Manual of Cardio-oncology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-40236-9_23
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-40236-9_23
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