title: Metabolic imaging using PET.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  There is growing evidence that myocardial metabolism plays a key role not only in ischaemic heart disease but also in a variety of diseases which involve myocardium globally, such as heart failure and diabetes mellitus. Understanding myocardial metabolism in such diseases helps to elucidate the pathophysiology and assists in making therapeutic decisions.
  
  
  METHODS
  As well as providing information on regional changes, PET can deliver quantitative information about both regional and global changes in metabolism. This capability of quantitative measurement is one of the major advantages of PET along with physiological positron tracers, especially relevant in evaluating diseases which involve the whole myocardium.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This review discusses major PET tracers for metabolic imaging and their clinical applications and contributions to research regarding ischaemic heart disease and other diseases such as heart failure and diabetic heart disease. Future applications of positron metabolic tracers for the detection of vulnerable plaque are also highlighted briefly.
authors.affiliation: Biomedical Imaging Research Center, University of Fukui, 23-3 Matsuoka-Shimoaizuki, Eiheiji-cho, Fukui, 910-1193, Japan. tkudo@u-fukui.ac.jp
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kudo
mesh_terms: D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000378:metabolism*; D006321:Heart / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D009206:Myocardium / Q000378:metabolism*; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography / Q000379:methods*; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals
chemical_list: D005227:Fatty Acids; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals