Table 2.
Principal characteristics of PET tracers for cardiovascular imaging.
| Tracer | Production | Half-life | Extraction | Myocardial uptake mechanism |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13N-ammonia | Cyclotron | 10 min | 80% | Diffusion/metabolic trapping (perfusion) |
| 82Rubidium | Generator | 78 sec | 50–60% | Na/K-ATPase (perfusion) |
| 15O-water | Cyclotron | 2.1 min | 100% | Free diffusion (perfusion) |
| F-18 FDG | Cyclotron | 110 min | 1–3% | Glucose transport/hexokinase (viability) |
PET: positron emission tomography; Na/K-ATPase: sodium/potassium-ATPase; FDG: fluorodeoxyglucose.