JNM supplement examines advances in cardiovascular molecular imaging
November 10, 2017
Articles in the new publication investigate topics that cover the entire spectrum of technology currently used to visualize the heart, including ultrasound, MRI, radiotracers, novel probes and other advances in instrumentation. Some articles discuss the use of intravascular devices that go inside the heart, while others approach the heart from noninvasive imaging perspectives. Also covered are areas of great potential, such as stem cell therapy and the introduction of nanoparticles for "theranostics"-the combination of diagnostics and therapy for drug delivery. Several research articles examine multiple methods of imaging the heart as it goes through the repair process following a heart attack called "remodeling."
The supplement also examines the role of molecular imaging in explaining the cellular processes that underlie prevalent heart diseases, such as atherosclerosis (hardening of the artery walls). With better understanding of the molecular biology of atherosclerosis, researchers hope to be able to diagnose it in its earliest stages.
"These studies were conducted with the goal of understanding how to prevent diseases that affect the heart by detecting them before they manifest," said Sinusas. "Another goal was to identify individual risk factors so that physicians can direct patients to the right therapy and use imaging to evaluate whether that therapy is working."
Source: Society of Nuclear Medicine