title: The role of nuclear cardiology in clinical decision making.
abstract: This review suggests that the field of nuclear cardiology is alive, well, and thriving, providing relevant information that aids in everyday clinical decision making for nuclear medicine and referring physicians alike. Despite the competition from other modalities, the clinically appropriate applications of nuclear cardiology techniques are likely to increase. The foundation of this optimism is based on the vast amount of data documenting cost-effective clinical applications for diagnosis, risk stratification, and assessing therapy in both chronic and acute coronary artery disease (CAD), the powerful objective quantitative analysis of perfusion and function provided by the technique, and the increasing general availability of the approach.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, UCLA School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
authors.forename: D S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Berman
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Germano
authors.forename: L J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Shaw
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D015906:Angioplasty, Balloon, Coronary; D006328:Cardiac Catheterization; D001026:Coronary Artery Bypass; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D005080:Exercise Test; D005260:Female; D006321:Heart / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D018570:Risk Assessment