The role of radionuclide ventriculography in the assessment of prognosis in patients with CAD.

One of the most important roles of cardiovascular nuclear medicine in evaluating patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) is predicting patient outcome. Measurements of ventricular function obtained by radionuclide ventriculography play a key role in defining a patient's prognosis. Because ventricular function correlates well with the total extent of myocardial ischemic burden, data derived from radionuclide ventriculography serve as valuable prognostic indicators. Radionuclide ventriculography provides noninvasive information that is comparable to contrast angiography for predicting subsequent cardiac events and mortality in patients with CAD.