New Guidelines Recommend Cardiac PET for All Coronary Artery Disease Evaluations

American Society of Nuclear Cardiology issues position statement endorsing cardiac PET with myocardial blood flow as the preferred test for all patients.

Published on Feb. 5, 2026

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The American Society of Nuclear Cardiology (ASNC) has issued a new position statement recommending that cardiac PET with myocardial blood flow should be used to evaluate all patients with suspected coronary artery disease who are candidates for myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI). The statement emphasizes that extensive research and clinical evidence affirm cardiac PET's high diagnostic accuracy, powerful risk stratification, and low radiation exposure.

Why it matters

This new ASNC position statement aims to encourage wider adoption of cardiac PET and help address prior authorization barriers that have previously limited patient access to this advanced imaging technology. The statement confirms that cardiac PET with myocardial blood flow is the optimal test for evaluating coronary artery disease across all patient populations.

The details

The ASNC statement details the clinical advantages of cardiac PET MPI, including its high diagnostic accuracy, robust risk stratification, reproducible myocardial blood flow quantification, value across diverse patient groups, rapid acquisitions, low radiation exposure, and high image quality. The statement also emphasizes the added value of PET/CT for providing anatomic information.

  • The ASNC position statement was published on January 26, 2026.

The players

American Society of Nuclear Cardiology (ASNC)

The international professional society devoted exclusively to the field of nuclear cardiology, with over 5,700 members worldwide.

Timothy Bateman, MD, MASNC

Lead author of the ASNC position statement and a leading expert in cardiac PET imaging.

Jamieson M. Bourque, MD, MHS, FASNC

President of the American Society of Nuclear Cardiology and a proponent of expanding patient access to cardiac PET.

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What they’re saying

“Based on the clinical and scientific evidence now available, there are no clinical scenarios or patient subgroups where cardiac PET with myocardial blood flow should be excluded.”

— Timothy Bateman, MD, MASNC, Lead author of the ASNC position statement (EINPresswire.com)

“In the past, insurers' policies have too often denied cardiac PET testing unless patients met certain restrictive clinical characteristics. That ends now. This statement confirms that all patients undergoing perfusion imaging are best served by cardiac PET with myocardial blood flow, if available. This is an important step toward ensuring patients have access to the best test.”

— Jamieson M. Bourque, MD, MHS, FASNC, President of the American Society of Nuclear Cardiology (EINPresswire.com)

What’s next

The new ASNC position statement is expected to encourage wider adoption of cardiac PET imaging and help address prior authorization barriers that have limited patient access to this advanced technology.

The takeaway

This ASNC statement represents a significant milestone in the field of cardiac imaging, confirming that cardiac PET with myocardial blood flow quantification should now be the preferred test for evaluating coronary artery disease in all eligible patients, regardless of their clinical characteristics or risk factors.