Myocardial perfusion PET/CT to evaluate known and suspected coronary artery disease

This review makes the case for hybrid PET/CT as a near-complete cardiac exam — pairing a functional map of blood flow with an anatomic look at the arteries in a single sitting.

The authors document PET/CT’s high sensitivity and specificity for coronary disease and, importantly, its prognostic reach: the results add risk information beyond what clinical models alone predict, helping separate the patients who need intervention from those who don’t. Pairing perfusion PET with CT does this with relatively modest radiation.

The practical takeaway is that for diagnosing and risk-stratifying suspected or known coronary disease, PET/CT offers an unusually complete picture. The resistance is competitive and economic — centers and stakeholders invested in lower-resolution SPECT face displacement.

We rate the evidence moderate: a 55-reference narrative review synthesizing existing literature, not primary research, with no declared conflicts. Its clinical significance is moderate — the diagnostic and prognostic advantages are real, but limited scanner availability and cost keep hybrid PET/CT from being most patients’ test.