Applications and software techniques for integrated cardiac multimodality imaging

Abstract

Several imaging technologies are available for diagnostic cardiac imaging, such as coronary computed tomography angiography (CTA), single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) positron emission tomography (PET) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Each of these techniques offers unique advantages, but also suffers from specific limitations. Software techniques are being developed to combine cardiac images from different modalities and generate composite multimodality images, allowing better diagnosis than that possible from images analyzed separately. Hybrid scanners (SPECT/CT and PET/CT) have also been proposed for integrated cardiac imaging. Physicians are presented with integrated fused images that contain complementary information from separate scans containing physiological and anatomical information. In this review, we present the latest approaches for integration of cardiac images from multiple modalities.

Keywords::

• coronary artery disease
• computed tomography
• computed tomography angiography
• hybrid imaging
• image fusion
• multimodality imaging
• PET
• single photon emission tomography

Financial & competing interests disclosure

Authors participate in royalties to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center obtained for licensure of SPECT/PET quantification software, which includes capabilities of SPECT/PET-CTA software fusion. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.

Notes

CAD: Coronary artery disease; CTA: Computed tomography angiography; PET: Positron emission tomography; SPECT: Single photon emission computed tomography.