Renee Bullock-Palmer, MD, Director of the Cardiac Non-Invasive Imaging Department at Deborah Heart and Lung Center — New Jersey’s only specialty heart, lung and vascular hospital and an Alliance Partner of the Cleveland Clinic Heart, Vascular & Thoracic Institute — has, along with other leading experts in the field, co-authored a scientific statement titled “Cardiac Amyloidosis: Evolving Diagnosis and Management” recently published in Circulation, the esteemed peer reviewed journal of the American Heart Association.

The article addresses an often overlooked and undiagnosed build-up of transthyretin (TTR — an amyloid protein) in the heart. This build-up causes a stiff left heart with heart failure.

Dr. Bullock-Palmer is superbly qualified to speak on this topic because in her role as Imaging Director, she is an expert in cardiac SPECT imaging to diagnose TTR type cardiac amyloidosis. SPECT (or single-photon emission computer tomography) is a nuclear medicine imaging technique using gamma rays. Using conventional nuclear medicine imaging, it has the added ability to detect transthyretin within the heart muscle and is critical in diagnosing TTR type cardiac amyloidosis.

Dr. Bullock-Palmer noted: “We at Deborah are the only Center in central Jersey with expertise in this sophisticated imaging capability. Being able to diagnose TTR type cardiac amyloidosis offers an opportunity to intervene before significant progression of this disease occurs.

“The statement that we co-authored provides important information to other specialists who may overlook this condition when evaluating a patient.”

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