Registry of nuclear medicine procedures in cardiology in Poland in 2019-2021.

Background: The purpose of the study was to present the cardiological procedures performed and scintigraphic devices used in Poland in 2019-2021 - based on the results of a nationwide survey.

Material and methods: Forty-three (100%) institutions performing scintigraphic cardiology tests responded to the survey: 29 classic nuclear medicine centers (NM), 4 PET centers, and 10 institutions performing NM and PET examinations.

Results: In 2021, 51 SPECT devices (including 5 dedicated cardiocentric semiconductor cameras, 12 SPECT gamma cameras, and 39 hybrid SPECT/CT devices) and 15 PET devices (14 PET/CT and 1 PET/MR) were used for cardiological examinations. The total number of cardiological SPECT and PET examinations has reached 33,107; PET shares 0.8%. The most frequently performed NM cardiological examination in 2019-2021 was myocardial perfusion scintigraphy (98-99% of all tests). NM cardiac amyloidosis studies accounted for less than 1% of all studies, and diagnostics of inflammation in the chest using labeled leukocytes - for less than 0.5%. The most frequently performed cardiological heart examination using the PET technique was the diagnostics of inflammation in the chest (166 of 269 examinations, i.e. 61.7%, in 2021), followed by the assessment of cardiac viability (46 examinations, i.e. 17.1%).

Conclusions: In Poland, in 2021, cardiac scintigraphy was performed in 39 classic nuclear medicine centers and 14 PET centers, using modern equipment, in approximately 1/1000 inhabitants per year. Polish nuclear cardiology is based on classical nuclear medicine. Almost 99% of the tests are stress and rest myocardial perfusion studies. PET has limited practical use (< 1% of cardiac studies).