Abstract
Rubidium-82 is the most well-established cardiac PET flow tracer with over 6 decades of literature. Due to its robust supply, short physical half-life, ease of use, low radiation dose and favorable kinetics it can deliver comprehensive clinical information with minimal risk and maximum convenience to patients and clinical staff. Optimized 82Rb protocols can deliver high quality myocardial perfusion imaging, functional cardiac images and absolute myocardial blood flow and flow reserve from a single session 30 minutes clinical protocol–benefiting patient convenience and clinical throughput. In a high volume setting the cost of 82Rb PET can be dramatically lower than that of alternative PET flow tracers. These factors compound toward 82Rb as the best PET flow tracer for high-throughput clinics.
