Role of exercise thallium 201 imaging in decision making

Journal Article · Sun Jun 01 00:00:00 EDT 1986 · Arch. Intern. Med.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1001/archinte.1986.00360180080014· OSTI ID:5206231

Iskandrian, A S; Hakki, A H; Segal, B L; Frankl, W S; Kane-Marsch, S; Unger, J

This prospective study examined the impact of results of exercise thallium 201 imaging on the estimation of probability of coronary artery disease (CAD) and patient management among cardiologists and internists in our institution. Before exercise testing, the probability of CAD in the 100 patients enrolled in this study was considered low in 31, intermediate in 28, and high in 41 patients. The probability of CAD after exercise thallium imaging was different in four patients (10%) in the high group, 22 patients (79%) in the intermediate group, and three patients (10%) in the low group. Further, the results of exercise testing resulted in changes in patient management in 29 patients (71%) in the high group, 26 patients (93%) in the intermediate group, and 16 patients (52%) in the low group. Overall, the management changed in 71% of the patients. This change included changes in medications, physical activity, frequency of office visits, need for cardiac catheterization, and need for coronary arterial bypass grafting. Thus, exercise thallium imaging is useful in clinical decision making: the diagnostic certainty is improved in patients with intermediate pretest probability of CAD; and some degree of change in patient management is observed, even in patients in whom the probability of CAD is not altered.

• Research Organization: Hahnemann Univ. Hospital, Philadelphia, PA
• OSTI ID: 5206231
• Journal Information: Arch. Intern. Med.; (United States), Vol. 6
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE
CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES
DIAGNOSIS
CORONARIES
SCINTISCANNING
EXERCISE
HEART
NITRATES
PATIENTS
THALLIUM 201
ARTERIES
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BLOOD VESSELS
BODY
CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM
COUNTING TECHNIQUES
DAYS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
DIAGNOSTIC TECHNIQUES
DISEASES
ELECTRON CAPTURE RADIOISOTOPES
HEAVY NUCLEI
ISOMERIC TRANSITION ISOTOPES
ISOTOPES
NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
NUCLEI
ODD-EVEN NUCLEI
ORGANS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
RADIOISOTOPE SCANNING
RADIOISOTOPES
SECONDS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
THALLIUM ISOTOPES
550601* - Medicine- Unsealed Radionuclides in Diagnostics