Fluorodeoxyglucose Applications in Cardiac PET: Viability, Inflammation, Infection, and Beyond

With its high temporal and spatial resolution and relatively low radiation exposure, positron emission tomography (PET) is increasingly being used in the management of cardiac patients, particularly those with inflammatory cardiomyopathies such as sarcoidosis. This review discusses the role of PET imaging in assessing myocardial viability, inflammatory cardiomyopathies, and endocarditis; describes the different protocols needed to acquire images for specific imaging tests; and examines imaging interpretation for each image dataset—including identification of the mismatch defect in viability imaging, which is associated with significant improvement in LV function after revascularization. We also review the role of fluorodeoxyglucose PET in cardiac sarcoidosis diagnosis, the complementary role of magnetic resonance imaging in inflammatory cardiomyopathy, and the emerging use of cardiac PET in prosthetic valve endocarditis.