CARDIAC ELECTROPHYSIOLOGY
& PACING
(Cardiology Unit IV) - CMC VELLORE
Treating Abnormal Heart Rhythms
Department of Nuclear Medicine
The Department of Nuclear Medicine specializes in the utilization of radioactive materials (radioisotopes) for diagnostic tests and treatments. Nuclear medicine imaging is a unique and non-invasive approach that provides valuable structural and functional information of organs. The majority of isotopes utilized in Clinical Nuclear Medicine are produced at BARC, Mumbai, with the remainder being imported. Radiopharmaceuticals, which are chemicals labeled with small amounts of isotopes, are used for both diagnosis and treatment purposes.
Radiopharmaceuticals are used for tests and therapy. They are injected into the patient's body or administered as a capsule. After a few minutes/hours/days, the patient is scanned with a Gamma camera or PET-CT scanner to produce detailed images of the body. The radiopharmaceuticals go directly to the organ or diseased tissue being treated in targeted molecular therapy. Safety methods are ensured during every procedure, and the principle of ALARA radiation exposure is followed.
Diagnostic Services in Nuclear Cardiology
Radiopharmaceutical: 99mTc- MIBI (8mCi / 24mCi) 99mTc- Myoview
INDICATIONS:
1. Detect coronary artery disease.
2. Evaluate physiologic significance or sequelae of known or suspected CAD
3. Viability of dysfunctional myocardium
4. Ventricular function (using gated images).
5. Monitor the effects of treatment, including revascularization.
6. Stratify risk
Radiopharmaceutical: 99mTc-labeled RBC.
INDICATIONS:
First-pass cardiac scans:
1. Calculate left and right ventricular ejection fractions.
2. Assess wall motion abnormalities.
3. Quantitate left-to-right cardiac shunts.
Gated cardiac blood pool imaging:
1. Focal and global wall motion abnormalities.
2. Ventricular function:
3. Ejection fraction,
4. Cardiac volumes,
5. Cardiac output,
6. Diastolic function.
7. Cardiotoxic effects of chemotherapy
8. Valvular regurgitation.
Radiopharmaceutical: 99mTcTPP
INDICATIONS:
1. To diagnose and assess the location and extent of cardiac amyloidosis
2. To differentiate between AL and ATTR
Radiopharmaceutical: 18FDG & Tc99mMIBI
INDICATIONS:
To identify areas of perfusion-metabolism mismatch, thereby determining the viable myocardium that will benefit from re-vascularisation procedures.
Radiopharmaceutical: Tc99m-MIBI & F18-FDG
INDICATIONS:
1. Patients with histologic evidence of extra CS and abnormal screening for CS
2. Patients with an unexplained, new onset of significant conduction system disease
3. Patients with Idiopathic Sustained Ventricular Tachycardia
4. Patients with proven CS