ASNC imaging guidelines for nuclear cardiology procedures

The American Society of Nuclear Cardiology (ASNC) published a guideline for the reporting of myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) in 2009.1 Over the last eight years there has been significant change in the breadth and depth of nuclear cardiology practice along with significant changes in the landscape of structured reporting. In consideration of this degree of change, it is appropriate that the guideline be updated and expanded to include a broader perspective of nuclear cardiology practice. At the same time, many things have not changed. This includes the fact that the report should provide a basic “bottom line” result to the referring physician and that this result must be clear and concise.2-4 This premise was expanded on by the American College of Radiology (ACR) with its development of a reporting and communication guideline with continued recent updates.5 All these documents emphasized the need for a defined structure containing standardized data elements to facilitate utilization of the complex data contained in an imaging report into the integrated healthcare of the patient through the electronic health record. The structured report is also an integral part to define quality in nuclear cardiology practices . There continues to be interest in the implementation of structured reporting as a mechanism to improve quality and outcomes and to reduce cost in fulfillment of the triple aim. …