The maze of myocardial perfusion imaging protocols in 1994.

A confusing multitude of different myocardial perfusion imaging protocols have been proposed during the last few years. The impetus for this development was new insights in imaging with thallium 201 and the challenge to perform efficient imaging with the newly developed technetium 99m-labeled imaging agents. The practicing nuclear cardiologist is confronted with a true maze of options. This review describes in detail the various protocols, discusses advantages and disadvantages of each, and states, when appropriate, the personal preference of the author.