From Basic Cardiac Imaging to Image Fusion

Core Competencies Versus Technological Progress

The recent development of three-dimensional imaging techniques has provided an enormous amount of information relevant to the clinical management of patients at low and high risk for coronary artery disease. However, while progress in each individual technique has been rapid, the correlation of findings obtained with radiology, nuclear medicine, and magnetic resonance imaging is still relatively neglected. In this book, qualified experts in cardiac imaging present the basic concepts of cardiac pathology and imaging and compare the findings obtained in particular subspecialties with those acquired using other techniques. In this way the reader will learn how images and techniques can be integrated in clinical practice to the benefit of the patient. In addition, it is explained how appropriate multimodality integration can reduce the patient's exposure to ionizing radiation. Physicians ranging from cardiac surgeons to internal medicine specialists and even public health administrators will find this book invaluable in understanding the role of hybrid cardiac imaging.