My Approach to Nuclear Medicine in the Assessment of Microvascular Disease in Women

Abstract

Coronary microvascular dysfunction (CMD) is a condition that has been increasingly recognized as a cause of angina, with prognostic importance in multiple cardiovascular processes, especially in women. It results from abnormalities in the structure and/or function of the coronary microcirculation. Even in the absence of obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD), CMD is associated with worse prognosis, greater morbidity, impaired quality of life, and recurrent hospitalizations due to angina and heart failure, posing a challenge for diagnosis and treatment. In this article, we briefly review CMD and how nuclear medicine can assist in its assessment.