The present invention provides a method for detecting abnormal coronary blood flow by “quantifying” emissions of radiopharmaceuticals after stressing the heart under “same state” conditions for detection of inflammatory vascular (IVD) disease and differentiation of (a) ischemic heart disease due reduced lumen responsiveness to demand for more coronary blood flow and (b) vulnerable inflammatory plaque disease with reduced lumen responsiveness. The present invention also provides a method for detection of myocyte viability by using the “quantitative” method to differentiate “normal” functioning cardiac tissue from non-viable “infarcted” cardiac tissue, from “stunned/hibernating” myocytes. The present invention further provides a method for detection of IVD by detecting enhanced thymic activity associated with IVD. The present invention reduces total patient imaging time, patient table time, radiation isotope doses and exposure to both patient and others through primary and secondary exposure to isotope emissions. In one embodiment, the nuclear isotope is technetium-99m hexakis 2-methoxyisobutylisonitrile (sestamibi).
