Cor Vasa 2003, 44(1):50-53

Nuclear cardiology in the Czech Republic: methods, numbers, and the pattern of examinations in 2001

Milan Kamínek^1,*, Miroslav Mysliveček¹, Václav Hušák¹, Otto Lang²

¹ Klinika nukleární medicíny, Fakultní nemocnice a Univerzita Palackého, Olomouc

² Klinika nukleární medicíny, Fakultní nemocnice Královské Vinohrady a 3. lékařská fakulta Univerzity Karlovy, Praha, Česká republika

The aim of the questionnaire-based study was to determine the numbers and methods used to perform nuclear cardiology procedures in the Czech Republic and to compare the data with those reported from the European Union (EU) and the USA. In 2001, a total of 15,740 of nuclear cardiology procedures were performed in the Czech Republic (i. e., 1.5 procedures/1,000 pop.). The most frequent procedures included myocardial perfusion scintigraphy (81.7% out of total), followed by radionuclide ventriculography (14.7%), first-pass cardioangiography (2.6%), and F-18-FDG glucose metabolism investigation (1%). The frequency of myocardial perfusion studies rose by 10% in 2001 compared with the 2000 figure. However, with an average of 1.5 procedures per 1,000 pop. and year, nuclear cardiology in the Czech Republic lags behind the EU (2.2 studies/1,000 pop. in 1994) and, most notably, the USA (15 studies/1,000 pop. in 1997).

Keywords: Nuclear cardiology; Numbers and methods of examination

Published: January 1, 2003  Show citation