PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Frank M. Bengel
TI  - Imaging Targets of the Sympathetic Nervous System of the Heart: Translational Considerations
AID  - 10.2967/jnumed.110.084228
DP  - 2011 Aug 01
TA  - Journal of Nuclear Medicine
PG  - 1167--1170
VI  - 52
IP  - 8
4099  - http://jnm.snmjournals.org/content/52/8/1167.short
4100  - http://jnm.snmjournals.org/content/52/8/1167.full
SO  - J Nucl Med2011 Aug 01; 52
AB  - The usefulness of imaging the cardiac sympathetic nervous system is increasingly supported by prospective clinical studies. The future success of this molecular imaging technique, however, will depend on careful design of additional trials. But preclinical and clinical use requires a thorough understanding of the underlying biology, which defines the relationship between neuronal tracer kinetics, disease mechanisms, and appropriate study interpretation. This review focuses on basic methodologic aspects considered relevant for successful continuation of the translation of cardiac neuronal imaging from a research tool toward a clinical test.