Abstract

Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT) has the unique ability to evaluate myocardial perfusion, at the cellular level, under peak stress conditions. In that sense, by evaluating viability, SPECT myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) can establish prognosis and assess the effectiveness of therapy, thus becoming a valuable modality in diagnosing and managing cardiac patients. Nevertheless, SPECT MPI can be exposed to various pitfalls and artifacts that may affect negatively the reliability of the technique, arising from a number of sources at any stage of this complex imaging process that includes patient-related, software- and equipment-related and user-related factors. By understanding and recognizing the sources of these pitfalls and artifacts, the reader should be able to make all the necessary steps to limit the sources of error, and more importantly to interpret the results of a study by taking into account their relative influence.