Rubidium-82 cardiac positron emission tomography imaging: an overview for the general cardiologist

Cardiac positron emission tomography (PET) imaging has been used for more than 3 decades to study myocardial perfusion and metabolism, but for a majority of those years, confined to large academic and research centers with access to a cyclotron. With the advent of the generator-produced PET radionuclide Rubidium-82, PET myocardial perfusion imaging has become far more accessible in daily practice, and is backed by a strong evidence-base for the diagnosis and prognosis of coronary artery disease and myocardial viability. Intended to describe basic principles for the general cardiologist, this review highlights the role of Rb-82 in PET myocardial perfusion imaging and provides an overview of its properties, its diagnostic accuracy for diagnosing coronary artery disease and myocardial viability, and some unique applications.