Myocardial Blood Flow: The Signal That Will Help You Better Understand Ischemic Heart Disease

“The challenge ahead is not whether we can measure flow, but whether we can interpret it wisely. This issue of the Journal of Nuclear Cardiology provides a framework for doing exactly that.” 

Marcelo F. Di Carli, MD, MASNC,
writing in his January 2026 JNC Editor’s Page

‘The Most Sensitive and Interpretive Signal’

When measured accurately and interpreted thoughtfully, myocardial blood flow (MBF) is “the most sensitive and integrative signal” for understanding ischemic heart disease, says Marcelo F. Di Carli, MD, MASNC, editor-in-chief of the Journal of Nuclear Cardiology.

Writing in his latest Editor’s Page, Dr. Di Carli recommends thinking about MBF not in isolation and not as a series of numbers. Rather, he asks readers to think about MBF in the context of other considerations, such as physiology, tracer kinetics, and patient characteristics. The articles in this month’s JNC were selected to provide a framework for evaluating the MBF signal and gaining a deeper understanding of a patient’s ischemic heart disease.

MBF Resources

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  ASNC’s PET Myocardial Blood Flow Practice Points and Case Compendium are among numerous resources available to help you get started with MBF quantification.

  The ASNC/SNMMI Practical Guide for Interpreting and Reporting Measurements of Myocardial Blood Flow

• The PET Myocardial Blood Flow Practice Points and Case Compendium, offered as a benefit of ASNC membership
• Free downloadable poster! Myocardial Blood Flow Measurement with Positron Emission Tomography Myocardial Perfusion Imaging
• ASNC’s OnDemand Cardiac PET Curriculum (2nd ed.) and Cardiac PET Perfusion Essentials, for modules focused on performing and interpreting MBF with the different PET agents

January 2026 JNC