Cardiac PET (Positron Emission Tomography) imaging provides the most accurate noninvasive means of detecting significant coronary artery disease (CAD). Georgia Heart Institute uses this innovative nuclear imaging test to show areas of decreased blood flow in your heart.
A Cardiac PET scan can help specialists determine the location and percentage of your blockage(s) that have developed because of plaque buildup. In many cases, a Cardiac PET scan can help a physician make an accurate diagnosis and develop a treatment plan.
Georgia Heart Institute physicians use cardiac PET scans to diagnose heart disease such as coronary artery disease. Your doctor can determine the severity of your cardiac disease and determine the best treatment options by using high-quality nuclear cardiac imaging such as the PET scan.
Imaging can also reveal injured or dead tissue in your heart that is often the result of a heart attack. With PET scanning, a cardiologist can determine whether you’re a candidate for percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) to open an artery, bypass surgery or other therapeutic options.
A cardiac PET scan uses radioactive tracers (called radionuclides) to produce high-quality pictures of your heart. With this imaging technique, our cardiologists and technicians can measure blood flow to your heart.
You will lie on a moveable table that slides into the PET scanner. An IV line will be used to inject tracers that are picked up by your heart into your bloodstream. Before the tracer is injected, a baseline picture of your heart will be taken. After a technician injects the tracers, several special detectors will pick up signals released by the tracers. These signals translate into images of thin slices of your heart. You will need to stay completely still as the technician takes the pictures. Your heart tissue function will show on the PET scan with varying levels of colors and brightness.
Our PET equipment at Georgia Heart Institute uses 3-D technology to create images. This process provides a much lower radiation exposure — an important safety concern if you may need repeated imaging.
Cardiac PET scans offer several advantages over other types of imaging.
Pictures produced by PET imaging are nearly free of shadows, which means physicians can more accurately diagnose coronary artery disease. PET imaging studies only take about 45 minutes compared to three to four hours for traditional tomography imaging.
Cardiac PET has few risks or side effects for most people. However, the tracer might cause a major allergic reaction in rare cases. Although you’re only exposed to a small amount of radiation, you should tell your doctor before the scan if you’re pregnant, could be pregnant, or if you’re nursing.
You can generally resume your regular activities after a PET scan is done. For the next 24 hours, you should drink plenty of water or other fluids to flush the tracer out of your system.
Your radiologist will send the image results to your doctor. You should schedule an appointment with your doctor to review the results.
Why Choose Georgia Heart Institute for Your Cardiac PET?
As Georgia’s leader in heart services, all diagnostic services at Georgia Heart Institute are provided by our expansive and highly-trained team of certified technologists and our board-certified non-invasive cardiologists. These experts specialize in the early detection of all conditions on the heart disease spectrum. Before patients receive any diagnostic services, our team will consider a variety of factors to determine the most effective imaging and testing option.
Request an Appointment
Cardiologists at each of our locations can refer you for one of these imaging procedures or determine which test or diagnostic would be best to help determine your cardiac treatment plan.
Please request an appointment for a Cardiac PET scan or other heart concerns by calling 770-219-7666 (option 3) or by clicking the “book an appointment” button and finding a Cardiologist near you.
