skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Myocardial perfusion scintigraphy during maximal coronary artery vasodilation with adenosine

Journal Article · · American Journal of Cardiology; (USA)
;  [1]
  1. Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX (USA)

Pharmacologic coronary vasodilation as an adjunct to thallium-201 myocardial perfusion scintigraphy provides an important alternative form of stress that has been increasingly used in patients unable to perform an exercise stress test. Although dipyridamole has traditionally been used for this purpose, there are several compelling reasons why adenosine may be a preferable agent. First, dipyridamole acts by blocking the reuptake and transport of adenosine, which is the effective substance responsible for coronary vasodilation. Second, exogenous adenosine has a very short half-life (less than 2 seconds), which explains its very short duration of action as well as the brief, self-limiting duration of its side effects. Third, the adenosine infusion is controllable and may be increased or decreased as desired. Fourth, the coronary vasodilation induced by the doses of adenosine we recommend (140 micrograms/kg/min) may be more profound than that induced by the standard dipyridamole dose. Our experience to date, with nearly 1,000 patients studied, shows the adenosine thallium-201 test to be practical and well tolerated, with high sensitivity (87%) and specificity (94%) for detecting coronary artery disease.

OSTI ID:
5760173
Journal Information:
American Journal of Cardiology; (USA), Vol. 67:14; ISSN 0002-9149
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

Similar Records

Adenosine thallium 201 myocardial perfusion scintigraphy
Journal Article · Mon Jul 01 00:00:00 EDT 1991 · American Heart Journal; (United States) · OSTI ID:5760173

Diagnosis of coronary artery disease by controlled coronary vasodilation with adenosine and thallium-201 scintigraphy in patients unable to exercise (see comments)
Journal Article · Sun Jul 01 00:00:00 EDT 1990 · Circulation; (USA) · OSTI ID:5760173

Quantitative thallium-201 single-photon emission computed tomography during maximal pharmacologic coronary vasodilation with adenosine for assessing coronary artery disease
Journal Article · Sun Sep 01 00:00:00 EDT 1991 · Journal of the American College of Cardiology; (United States) · OSTI ID:5760173