This book explains in detail the potential value of the hybrid modalities, SPECT-CT and PET-CT, in the imaging of cardiac innervation in a wide range of conditions and diseases, including ischemic heart disease, diabetes mellitus, heart failure, amyloidosis, heart transplantation, and ventricular arrhythmias. Imaging of the brain-heart axis in neurodegenerative disease and stress and of cardiotoxicity is also discussed. The roles of the various available tracers are fully considered, and individual chapters address radiopharmaceutical development under GMP, imaging physics, and kinetic modeling software. Highly relevant background information is included on the autonomic nervous system of the heart and its pathophysiology, and in addition future perspectives are discussed. Awareness of the importance of autonomic innervation of the heart for the optimal management of cardiac patients is growing, and there is an evident need for objective measurement techniques or imaging modalities. In this context, Autonomic Innervation of the Heart will be of wide interest to clinicians, researchers, and industry.

Drug development is very expensive and a fight against time. PET offers possibilities to speed up this process by adding unique in vivo information on pharmacokinetics/dynamics of a drug at an early stage. This information can help decision makers to move the drug in the drug development process or to decide to stop further developments. This unique and complete book highlights the different ways PET can be used and describes the latest trends in the various disciplines within nuclear medicine to further improve methodologies and increase the number of tools to accelerate drug development. Various topics within tracer development, instrumentation, data analysis and many clinical and preclinical topics are described by leading scientists from industry and academia.