title: Nuclear cardiology, Part I: Anatomy and function of the normal heart.
abstract: This is the first article of a four-part series on nuclear cardiology. This article introduces and reviews the anatomy and function of the normal heart. Future articles will develop the contribution of nuclear medicine techniques in evaluating myocardial perfusion, function and viability. This article describes the external and internal features of the heart and its vascularization, conducting system and physiological function. After reading this article, the reader should understand the anatomy and the function of the normal heart.
authors.affiliation: Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mesotten
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Maes
authors.forename: A S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Hambÿe
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Everaert
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Van den Maegdenbergh
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Franken
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mortelmans
mesh_terms: D006321:Heart / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D012016:Reference Values