Evaluating Coronary Artery Disease

Abstract

The Journal’s continuing education series on nuclear cardiology is excerpted from New England Nuclear’s technologist training manual, Introduction to Nuclear Cardiology. With NEN’s permission, four of the eight chapters in the manual were selected for a four-part series in the JNMT. The Continuing Education Committee urges that a review of cardiac anatomy and physiology be completed in conjunction with this series of articles. This is the first of the nuclear cardiology series. The other chapters will be: An Introduction to Thallium-201, Acute Myocardial Infarct Imaging with Tc-99m-pyrophosphate, and An Introduction to Radionuclide Ventricular Function Studies. After reading and studying this article, the nuclear medicine technologist will be able to: (1) identify normal and abnormal components of an electrocardiogram, and (2) discuss the clinical utilities, basic methods, and possible complications of non-nuclear medicine procedures used to assess coronary artery disease.