Determining Optimal Interval for Cardiovascular Perfusion Imaging Post Technetium-99m Sestamibi Inje

by Alen Sisic

Submitted : Fall 2019

Cardiac nuclear imaging for diagnosis of coronary artery disease requires intravenous administration of a radioactive isotope, technetium-99m, which has a physical half-life of only six hours. Due to the short half-life of this isotope, it must be produced at the testing facility in a timely manner. This project attempts to calculate the ideal theoretical interval for cardiovascular imaging, focusing on capturing higher quality diagnostic images. Factors predicted to affect image quality include, isotope activity of technetium-99m, myocardial absorption rates, hepatic clearance ratios, and radioactive decay. Image quality was concluded to be optimal for diagnosis of cardiovascular disease when test is conducted sixty minutes post injection for resting portion and forty-five minutes after for pharmacological stress testing. These intervals allow for adequate liver clearance of Tc-99m and decrease potential for false positive test results, while retaining sufficient isotope activity for diagnostic imaging.

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