CPT® Code 78434

Add-On Code

Absolute quantitation of myocardial blood flow (AQMBF), positron emission tomography (PET), rest and pharmacologic stress (List separately in addition to code for primary procedure)

The CPT® Code 78434 refers to the procedure known as Absolute Quantitation of Myocardial Blood Flow (AQMBF) using Positron Emission Tomography (PET). This advanced imaging technique is primarily utilized for the diagnosis and monitoring of coronary artery disease (CAD), including cases of multi-vessel CAD. It also plays a crucial role in evaluating the severity of microvascular disease, assessing endothelial dysfunction, and determining the effectiveness of treatment interventions. The procedure begins with the establishment of intravenous access, allowing for the administration of a radiotracer. The patient is then positioned within the PET scanner, where images of the myocardium are captured at rest. Following this, stress is induced either through physical exercise or the intravenous administration of a pharmacological agent that causes coronary vasodilation. This is followed by another injection of the tracer and subsequent imaging during the induced cardiac stress. The data obtained from the PET myocardial perfusion imaging is processed using specialized software dedicated to AQMBF analysis. This software analyzes the images and generates a polar map that illustrates the relative perfusion across the coronary arterial beds and myocardial tissue. The output includes numerical data reflecting blood flow in milliliters per gram per minute (mL/g/min) at both rest and stress conditions. The AQMBF results are then integrated with the overall PET perfusion imaging data to produce a comprehensive report. It is important to note that CPT® Code 78434 is reported separately in addition to the code for the primary procedure performed during the imaging session.