Serial thallium-201 imaging at rest in patients with unstable and stable angina pectoris: relationship of myocardial perfusion at rest to presenting clinical syndrome

Journal Article · Fri Jul 01 00:00:00 EDT 1983 · Am. Heart J.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/0002-8703(83)90442-8· OSTI ID:5551113

Brown, K A; Okada, R D; Boucher, C A; Phillips, H R; Strauss, H W; Pohost, G M

In order to determine whether there are differences in myocardial perfusion at rest among patients with various unstable and stable angina syndromes, serial thallium-201 imaging was performed at rest in 19 patients presenting with rapidly worsening exertional angina (unstable angina, group A), 12 patients with rest angina alone without exertional symptoms (unstable angina, group B), and 34 patients with chronic stable angina. No patient had an episode of angina within 4 hours of study. Nineteen of 19 (100%) patients in group A demonstrated transient defects compared to only 3 of 12 (25%) patients in group B (p less than 0.0001) and 4 of 34 (12%) stable angina patients (p less than 0.0001). The majority of zones demonstrating transient defects in group A were associated with hypokinesis of the corresponding left ventriculogram segment without associated ECG evidence of previous infarction. There were no significant differences in the frequency of persistent thallium defects, severity of angiographic coronary artery disease, or frequency of regional wall motion abnormalities of myocardial segments supplied by stenotic coronary arteries among the three groups of patients. Transient defects have been shown to reflect reduction in regional coronary blood flow to viable myocardium. Therefore, we conclude that regional resting hypoperfusion of viable myocardium is far more common in patients with exertional unstable angina symptoms than in patients with rest angina alone or chronic stable angina.

• Research Organization: Division of Nuclear Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston
• OSTI ID: 5551113
• Journal Information: Am. Heart J.; (United States), Vol. 106:1
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE
CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES
DIAGNOSIS
THALLIUM 201
DIAGNOSTIC USES
BIOLOGICAL STRESS
EXERCISE
RADIOISOTOPE SCANNING
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
COUNTING TECHNIQUES
DAYS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
DISEASES
ELECTRON CAPTURE RADIOISOTOPES
HEAVY NUCLEI
ISOMERIC TRANSITION ISOTOPES
ISOTOPES
NUCLEI
ODD-EVEN NUCLEI
RADIOISOTOPES
SECONDS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
THALLIUM ISOTOPES
USES
550601* - Medicine- Unsealed Radionuclides in Diagnostics