Pharmacologic intervention as an alternative to exercise stress

Journal Article · Wed Apr 01 00:00:00 EST 1987 · Semin. Nucl. Med.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/S0001-2998(87)80017-X· OSTI ID:6477014

Gould, K L

Although thallium exercise imaging has served an important role in clinical cardiology, it is significantly limited by suboptimal sensitivity and specificity, particularly in asymptomatic man. The increasing recognition of silent myocardial ischemia, the significant prevalence of coronary artery disease in asymptomatic middle age men, and the frequent occurrence of myocardial infarction without preceding symptoms in 60% of cases emphasizes the need for a more definitive, noninvasive diagnostic test for the presence of coronary artery disease suitable for screening in asymptomatic or symptomatic patients. Intravenous dipyridamole combined with handgrip stress provides a potent stimulus for purposes of diagnostic perfusion imaging. Although planar and single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) imaging also have played an important role, these techniques are seriously hindered by their inability to quantitate radiotracer uptake or image modest differences in maximum relative flow caused by coronary artery stenosis. Accordingly, the combination of dipyridamole-handgrip stress with positron imaging of myocardial perfusion has become a powerful diagnostic tool suitable for routine clinical use. With the availability of generator-produced rubidium-82, dedicated clinically oriented positron cameras, the routine application of positron imaging to clinical cardiology has become feasible. 75 references.

• Research Organization: Univ. of Texas Medical School, Houston
• OSTI ID: 6477014
• Journal Information: Semin. Nucl. Med.; (United States), Vol. 2
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE
CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES
DIAGNOSIS
MYOCARDIUM
POSITRON COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY
VASODILATORS
DIAGNOSTIC USES
BODY BURDEN
EXERCISE
PATIENTS
PERFUSED ORGANS
REVIEWS
RUBIDIUM 82
THALLIUM ISOTOPES
ALKALI METAL ISOTOPES
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-PLUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BODY
CARDIOVASCULAR AGENTS
CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM
COMPUTERIZED TOMOGRAPHY
DIAGNOSTIC TECHNIQUES
DISEASES
DOCUMENT TYPES
DRUGS
ELECTRON CAPTURE RADIOISOTOPES
EMISSION COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY
HEART
HOURS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
INTERMEDIATE MASS NUCLEI
ISOTOPES
MINUTES LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
MUSCLES
NUCLEI
ODD-ODD NUCLEI
ORGANS
RADIOISOTOPES
RUBIDIUM ISOTOPES
TOMOGRAPHY
USES
550601* - Medicine- Unsealed Radionuclides in Diagnostics