Recent advances in first-pass radionuclide angiography.

First-pass RNA has been in use for more than 20 years for both the diagnosis and prognosis of coronary, congenital, valvular, and pulmonary heart disease. Recent advances in gamma-camera and computer technology have made first-pass RNA easier to acquire, more accurate, and faster to process. It stands out as the best technology available for the investigation of short-duration phenomena, including peak exercise, that affect the left and right ventricles. Perhaps most importantly, the introduction of the technetium-based myocardial perfusion imaging agent, sestamibi, has made it possible to combine all of the measurements of regional and global ventricular function and volume obtainable from first-pass data with high-resolution tomographic myocardial perfusion imaging, thus providing the most comprehensive noninvasive evaluation available of the patient with known or suspected coronary disease.