This book explains in detail the potential value of the hybrid modalities, SPECT-CT and PET-CT, in the imaging of cardiac innervation in a wide range of conditions and diseases, including ischemic heart disease, diabetes mellitus, heart failure, amyloidosis, heart transplantation, and ventricular arrhythmias. Imaging of the brain-heart axis in neurodegenerative disease and stress and of cardiotoxicity is also discussed. The roles of the various available tracers are fully considered, and individual chapters address radiopharmaceutical development under GMP, imaging physics, and kinetic modeling software. Highly relevant background information is included on the autonomic nervous system of the heart and its pathophysiology, and in addition future perspectives are discussed.

Awareness of the importance of autonomic innervation of the heart for the optimal management of cardiac patients is growing, and there is an evident need for objective measurement techniques or imaging modalities. In this context, Autonomic Innervation of the Heart will be of wide interest to clinicians, researchers, and industry.

Introduction

Autonomic nervous system of the heart
Pathophysiology of the autonomic nervous system of the heart
Tracers for Presynaptic Cardiac Innervation
Tracers of Adrenergic Receptors
Tracers of the Parasympathetic System
Radiopharmaceuticals production under GMP
Physics of PET-CT and SPECT-CT
Kinetics & software PET
SPECT-CT imaging of autonomic innervation in heart diseases
PET-CT imaging of autonomic innervation in heart diseases
Imaging ischemic heart disease
Imaging diabetes mellitus
Imaging heart failure
Imaging amyloidosis
Imaging heart transplantation
Imaging ventricular arrhythmias
Guided therapy & imaging
Imaging the functional brain-heart axis: neurodegenerative diseases
Imaging the functional brain-heart axis: mental stress & anxiety
Imaging cardiotoxicity: the effects of chemo- and mono-clonal antibody therapy on autonomic innervation
Imaging cardiotoxicity: the effect of radiotherapy on autonomic innervation
Summary and Future Perspectives: PET-MRI Imaging of cardiac Innervation, fluorescence imaging of cardiac innervation
Epilog
Index.