Hybrid imaging: integration of nuclear imaging and cardiac CT.

The integration of nuclear medicine cameras with multidetector CT scanners provides a unique opportunity to delineate cardiac and vascular anatomic abnormalities and their physiologic consequences in a single setting. By revealing the burden of anatomic coronary artery disease and its physiologic significance, hybrid imaging can provide unique information that may improve noninvasive diagnosis, risk assessment, and management of coronary artery disease. By integrating the detailed anatomic information from CT with the high sensitivity of radionuclide imaging to evaluate targeted molecular and cellular abnormalities, hybrid imaging may play a key role in shaping the future of molecular diagnostics and therapeutics. This article reviews potential clinical applications of hybrid imaging in cardiovascular disease.