Advanced Nuclear Imaging Approaches for the Diagnosis and Management of Cardiomyopathies

Cardiomyopathies encompass a broad spectrum of myocardial disorders with diverse etiologies, including genetic, inflammatory, metabolic, and infiltrative conditions. Their accurate characterization is essential for timely intervention and optimal patient care. While structural and functional imaging modalities have traditionally dominated diagnostic pathways, nuclear imaging provides unique molecular and physiological information that complements anatomical findings.

PET and SPECT can reveal inflammation, amyloid deposition, perfusion abnormalities, sympathetic innervation defects, and metabolic alterations that may remain undetected with other modalities. Recent technological advances—such as digital PET, improved quantification, and novel radiotracers—have expanded the clinical impact of nuclear cardiology, making it increasingly central in the evaluation of complex cardiomyopathies. This Research Topic seeks to explore and consolidate these recent developments.

The primary goal of this Research Topic is to address the current challenges in diagnosing and managing cardiomyopathies through advanced nuclear imaging technologies. Although echocardiography and cardiac MRI remain central in routine evaluation, many cardiomyopathies require metabolic, inflammatory, or molecular characterization for accurate diagnosis and treatment planning—domains in which nuclear imaging plays a crucial role.

By assembling research focused on cutting-edge PET and SPECT methodologies, emerging tracers, quantitative imaging biomarkers, and hybrid imaging systems, this Topic seeks to consolidate contemporary knowledge and present actionable strategies for improving clinical workflows. Ultimately, the aim is to highlight how nuclear imaging can refine disease phenotyping, improve prognostic stratification, and guide therapeutic interventions, contributing to better patient outcomes and more tailored clinical management.

This Research Topic welcomes original research articles, reviews, mini-reviews, case series, technical notes, and perspectives focusing on nuclear imaging applications in cardiomyopathy. Contributions may address diagnostic innovations, tracer development, quantitative methods, patient-specific imaging protocols, or hybrid imaging approaches (PET/CT, PET/MRI, SPECT/CT). Studies exploring artificial intelligence for image interpretation, cross-modality comparisons, or clinical decision-support tools are encouraged.

Authors are invited to submit work pertaining to major cardiomyopathies—including amyloidosis, sarcoidosis, hypertrophic, dilated, and arrhythmogenic phenotypes—as well as less common entities with nuclear-imaging relevance. Papers discussing standardized acquisition protocols, reproducibility, and clinical implementation strategies are also suited to this Topic. The overarching scope is to advance knowledge and promote best-practice nuclear imaging for cardiomyopathy diagnosis, prognosis, and management.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Clinical Trial
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Clinical Trial
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Policy and Practice Reviews
• Policy Brief
• Review
• Study Protocol
• Systematic Review

Keywords: Cardiomyopathies, Nuclear Imaging, PET, SPECT, Cardiac Amyloidosis, Sarcoidosis, Dilated Cardiomyopathy, Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy, Myocardial Metabolism

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.