Newswise — Thirty years ago this month, the University of Virginia Health System opened one of the first nuclear cardiology laboratories in the nation and the first in the state. Over the years, the lab has performed non-invasive diagnostic procedures on nearly 75,000 patients and gained recognition as one of the premier nuclear cardiology research centers in the world.
"Our facilities were originally located in Barringer Hall, which is now part of the medical center's older, West Complex," recalls George A. Beller, M.D., a UVa Medical School alumnus who was recruited from Harvard in 1977 to become Chief of Cardiology and open the lab. He quickly recruited Denny D. Watson, Ph.D. from the University of Miami School of Medicine to join UVa's Department of Radiology. As research collaborators, the two were already known as pioneers in the emerging field of nuclear cardiology. Their early studies focused on the use of nuclear cardiology imaging in the detection and evaluation of coronary artery disease, when used as an adjunct to exercise treadmill testing.
In nuclear cardiology procedures, patients receive injections of small tracer amounts of radionuclides that are formulated to track blood flow or trace metabolic activity. These tracers emit electromagnetic radiation that is detected by devices like computed tomography (CT) scanners. The scanners rotate outside the body and create images of the tracers that are inside the heart to determine blood flow and the mechanical function of the heart.
At UVa, Beller and Watson, together with David Glover, Ph.D., began transferring their cutting-edge research from 'bench to bedside,' bringing nuclear medicine techniques into routine clinical use. "From the start, our goal has been providing patients with a non-invasive way to find out if they have heart disease and how severe it is. By continuously advancing the quality of our technology, techniques and images, we've helped determine what the best therapeutic option is for our patients, including by-pass surgery, stents or medications," Dr. Beller says.
Nuclear cardiology researchers at UVa have been prodigious. Over the past three decades, they have contributed more than 300 papers to medical literature and have presented their findings around the world. Many papers have described clinical results achieved by methods and techniques developed at UVa. "Our solid, basic research and subsequent development of clinical applications, have established UVa as a leader in the field of nuclear cardiology," notes Dr. Watson.
In addition to patient care and research, the lab has provided nuclear cardiology training and fellowships, hosted major conferences, developed computer programs to enhance image-reading capabilities, and participated in the development of new imaging agents and applications.
As the field of nuclear cardiology developed, Dr. Beller realized that it was becoming a medical subspecialty worldwide. Along with Dr. Barry Zaret of Yale University and other leaders in this new imaging field, he helped create the American Society of Nuclear Cardiology (ASNC). The society spawned the Certification Board of Nuclear Cardiology.
As the ANSC grew, it launched its own publication, The Journal of Nuclear Cardiology (JNC). Currently, Dr. Beller is editor in chief of the journal, and Dr. Watson serves as an associate editor. JNC is recognized as the official publication of nuclear cardiology and related cardiac imaging professions.
In 2006, the Nuclear Cardiology Lab moved into new, state-of-the art facilities as part of UVa's Heart and Vascular Center. "We have today one of the best facilities in the world," says Dr. Watson.
"We're considered one of the country's premier centers," Dr. Beller explains. "In fact, UVa is internationally known for all of our imaging programs, including cardiac ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging. In the U.S., we were the first program funded by the National Institute of Health (NIH) to train cardiologists in advanced imaging techniques. It's important to realize that the launch of our nuclear cardiology program 30 years ago made all this possible."
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