Recent advancements in SPECT Myocardial Perfusion Imaging prompted ASNC to issue updated SPECT guidelines, which were published on May 25, 2018.

The highly anticipated new guidelines, ASNC Imaging Guidelines: Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT) Myocardial Perfusion Imaging—Instrumentation, Acquisition, Processing, and Interpretation, incorporate the most up-to-date information and advancements in SPECT technology since the previous 2010 ASNC SPECT guidelines were published.

Today’s SPECT technology effectively allows for exceedingly low radiation dose imaging, myocardial blood flow quantitation, and personalized imaging protocols. By leveraging the new advancements, the revised guidelines promote a more patient-centric and personalized approach that contributes to higher-quality imaging and more meaningful results.

The medical community considers the update a significant move toward the standardization of SPECT MPI and one that will ultimately allow them to provide patients with the highest level of customized care.

The new guideline features updates on novel hardware, collimators, and CZT scanners, as well as newly added sections on reduced count density reconstruction techniques, SPECT myocardial blood flow quantification, stress-first/stress-only imaging, and patient-centered myocardial perfusion imaging.

The guidelines were endorsed by the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging and published in the Journal of Nuclear Cardiology. You can view and download the new guidelines from ASNC’s website and read the official press release here.