Potential Role of PET in Assessing Ventricular Arrhythmias

Abstract

Ventricular arrhythmias (VAs) are a major cause of morbidity and mortality, especially in patients with structural heart disease. In the last decade, advanced imaging modalities, such as cardiac MR and nuclear imaging, have progressively demonstrated to play a central role in the diagnosis and management of patients presenting with VAs. PET is acquiring a growing role thanks to its capability to assess different pathophysiologic aspects of the arrhythmogenic substrate by evaluating abnormal myocardial perfusion, presence of inflammation, myocardial viability, and sympathetic innervation. This review describes the principles and main clinical applications of PET imaging in the setting of VAs.

Keywords: Cardiomyopathy; Inflammation; Positron emission tomography; Ventricular arrhythmias.