Strategies for radiation dose reduction in nuclear cardiology and cardiac computed tomography imaging: a report from the European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging (EACVI), the Cardiovascular Committee of European Association of Nuclear Medicine (EANM), and the European Society of Cardiovascular Radiology (ESCR)

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the leading cause of death in Europe (5 million deaths per year) at a cost of e196 billion in 2009. Imaging techniques such as computed tomography (CT), single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), and positron emission tomography (PET) play an increasingly important role in the diagnosis of CVD. Regarding myocardial perfusion imaging, scan volume has grown rapidly worldwide over the past two decades to 15–20 million procedures annually and diffusion of technology and expertise has led to its continued adoption across the developing world.2 However, there are concerns regarding the radiation burden associated with these diagnostic modalities.