Radionuclide techniques for diagnosing and sizing of myocardial infarction

Radionuclide techniques have acquired an important place in the evaluation of patients with acute ischemic heart disease. Because of the non-invasive nature of the techniques and the capability to perform studies at the patient's bedside, these studies can be obtained in critically ill patients with little discomfort to the patient. Two techniques are employed: (a) myocardial imaging, and (b) assessment of right and left ventricular function. The field of nuclear cardiology and its applications is still evolving as new and sophisticated computer software is becoming widely available and new radiotracers are being introduced