Myocardial Functional Imaging in Pediatric Nuclear Cardiology

The role of nuclear medicine in pediatric cardiology has grown rapidly over the years, providing useful functional and prognostic information and playing a complementary role to morphological imaging in the evaluation of myocardial perfusion, cardiovascular inflammation and infections, and cardiac sympathetic innervation. The aim of this narrative review is to summarize and highlight the most important evidence on pediatric nuclear cardiology, describing clinical applications and the possibilities, advantages, and limitations of nuclear medicine techniques. Moreover, a special focus will be given to the minimization of radiation exposure in pediatric nuclear cardiology imaging, a critical topic in children.

Automated summary

The role of nuclear medicine in pediatric cardiology has become increasingly important, providing valuable functional and prognostic information in the evaluation of cardiac diseases. This review summarizes the clinical applications, advantages, and limitations of nuclear medicine techniques in pediatric cardiology, with a special focus on minimizing radiation exposure.