Human myocardial studies with 82Rb and PET

The authors have been perfecting a method for the early detection of atherosclerosis leading to heart attacks. The method employs positron emission tomography (PET) for production of pictures reflecting the integrity of blood flow to heart muscle. After six years of development, including the improvement of the Donner 280-crystal PET device, the authors discovered a new procedure providing important results. The new protocol for the examination of heart patients before and after exercise using 82Rb and positron emission tomography (PET) has now been successfully completed on four patients. Short-lived 82Rb (76-sec half-life) is available from a small portable generator. Results of the 82Rb studies showed a remarkable differential uptake of rubidium in the septal and left ventricular wall regions before and after exercise. These results are new findings, which have now been observed before because no isotope studies involving separate injections before and after exercise had been done. The reason is that radionuclides previously used do not have the short half-life of 82Rb which enables the before- and after-exercise studies to be done