Evidence for regional catecholamine uptake and storage sites in the transplanted human heart by positron emission tomography

Journal Article · Wed May 01 00:00:00 EDT 1991 · Journal of Clinical Investigation; (USA)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI115185· OSTI ID:5734799

Schwaiger, M; Hutchins, G D; Kalff, V; Rosenspire, K; Haka, M S; Mallette, S; Deeb, G M; Abrams, G D; Wieland, D ^[1]

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1. Univ. of Michigan Medical Center, Ann Arbor (USA)

Positron emission tomography in combination with the newly introduced catecholamine analogue ({sup 11}C)hydroxyephedrine (({sup 11}C)HED) enables the noninvasive delineation of sympathetic nerve terminals of the heart. To address the ongoing controversy over possible reinnervation of the human transplant, 5 healthy control subjects and 11 patients were studied after cardiac transplant by this imaging approach. Regional ({sup 11}C)HED retention was compared to regional blood flow as assessed by rubidium-82. Transplant patients were divided into two groups. Group I had recent (less than 1 yr, 4.4 +/- 2.3 mo) surgery, while group II patients underwent cardiac transplantation more than 2 yr before imaging (3.5 +/- 1.3 yr). ({sup 11}C)HED retention paralleled blood flow in normals, but was homogeneously reduced in group I. In contrast, group II patients revealed heterogeneous ({sup 11}C)HED retention, with increased uptake in the proximal anterior and septal wall. Quantitative evaluation of ({sup 11}C)HED retention revealed a 70% reduction in group I and 59% reduction in group II patients (P less than 0.001). In group II patients, ({sup 11}C)HED retention reached 60% of normal in the proximal anterior wall. These data suggest the presence of neuronal tissue in the transplanted human heart, which may reflect regional sympathetic reinnervation.

• OSTI ID: 5734799
• Journal Information: Journal of Clinical Investigation; (USA), Vol. 87:5; ISSN 0021-9738
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE
CATECHOLAMINES
UPTAKE
HEART
TRANSPLANTS
AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM
BLOOD FLOW
BLOOD PRESSURE
CARBON 11
EPHEDRINE
MAN
NERVES
PATIENTS
POSITRON COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY
RUBIDIUM 82
ALKALI METAL ISOTOPES
ALKALOIDS
AMINES
ANIMALS
AROMATICS
AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM AGENTS
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-PLUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BODY
CARBON ISOTOPES
CARDIOVASCULAR AGENTS
CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM
COMPUTERIZED TOMOGRAPHY
DIAGNOSTIC TECHNIQUES
DRUGS
ELECTRON CAPTURE RADIOISOTOPES
EMISSION COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY
EVEN-ODD NUCLEI
HOURS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
HYDROXY COMPOUNDS
INTERMEDIATE MASS NUCLEI
ISOTOPES
LIGHT NUCLEI
MAMMALS
MINUTES LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
NERVOUS SYSTEM
NUCLEI
ODD-ODD NUCLEI
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANS
PHENOLS
POLYPHENOLS
PRIMATES
RADIOISOTOPES
RUBIDIUM ISOTOPES
SYMPATHOMIMETICS
TOMOGRAPHY
VASOCONSTRICTORS
VERTEBRATES
550601* - Medicine- Unsealed Radionuclides in Diagnostics