Artifacts in Myocardial Perfusion Single-Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT); A Multi-Case Report

Myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) is an important imaging technique in the monitoring of cardiovascular complications. This modality plays an important role in diagnosis and treatment assessment of patients with cardiovascular diseases. Although myocardial perfusion imaging is a valuable diagnostic tool, complexity of this modality can result in a variety of artifacts and pitfalls which may limit its clinical applications. These issues may originate from the patients, the nuclear medicine equipment or the technologist.
Case Report: This report provides three illustrative examples of artifacts in myocardial perfusion single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) due to both technologists and patient's mistakes.
It is crucial to be aware of factors resulting in artifacts, to limit and recognize them in order to prevent misinterpretation of the results of myocardial perfusion imaging.