There are many reasons a cardiologist would order a PET scan. PET/CT scans for cardiology create 3D images of the heart, concentrating on diseased or injured areas. These pictures allow your doctor to differentiate between types of damage, whether caused by coronary artery disease (CAD), heart failure, a heart attack or something else. Identifying and diagnosing specific conditions gives you a significant advantage concerning the treatment and further care.

These scans also enable your doctor to monitor and evaluate progress over time, so they can see how well a certain treatment is working or what changes are occurring within your heart.

Cardiac PET vs. CT Scans

Patients often wonder about the difference between cardiac PET and CT scans. CT scans are non-invasive and use X-rays, while PET scans are minimally invasive procedures requiring an injection of radioactive dye. Unlike 3D PET scans that monitor the processes in your heart, CT scans create 2D images of structures, like blood vessels, bones and soft tissue.