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Noninvasive detection of regional myocardial ischemia using rubidium-81 and scintillation camera. Comparison with stress electrocardiography in patients with arteriographically documented coronary stenosis

Journal Article · · Circulation; (United States)

The sensitivity of rest and stress myocardial perfusion studies using scintillation camera imaging of intravenously administered rubidium-81 (/sup 81/Rb) in the detection of myocardial ischemia was compared to that of stress electrocardiography by relating results in 40 patients to the degree of stenosis delineated by coronary arteriography. Of 33 patients with greater than 75 percent stenosis of at least one of the three major coronary vessels (significant stenosis), rest and stress /sup 81/Rb imaging detected ventricular ischemia in 29 (88 percent), whereas simultaneous stress electrocardiography was positive (1 mm or greater horizontal ST-segment depression) in only 19 (58 percent) of the same patients. Five of the 29 patients who developed stress-induced scintigraphic evidence of ischemia did not develop angina or a positive electrocardiogram with stress. In 31 of the 33 patients with significant coronary stenosis, either the stress scintigram or the stress electrocardiogram was positive. In seven patients with less than 50 percent narrowing of a major coronary vessel on coronary arteriography, the stress scintigrams were negative, whereas the stress electrocardiograms were positive in the two of these patients with the syndrome of angina with normal coronary arteriograms. It is concluded that high resolution images of the myocardium can be obtained with /sup 81/Rb using the scintillation camera with special shielding, and that rest and stress /sup 81/Rb scintigraphy appears to provide greater sensitivity and specificity when compared to stress electrocardiography in the noninvasive identification of significant coronary stenosis.

Research Organization:
Univ. of California, Davis
OSTI ID:
7181931
Journal Information:
Circulation; (United States), Journal Name: Circulation; (United States) Vol. 52:4; ISSN CIRCA
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English