Validity of left-ventricular ejection fractions measured at rest and peak exercise by equilibrium radionuclide angiography using short acquisition times.
To validate ejection fraction (EF) calculations from 5 and 2 minutes of multiple-gated equilibrium radionuclide angiographic data and to establish its utility during alterations in cardiac performance, we studied 38 patients with chest pain suggestive of coronary artery disease. Twenty-four patients underwent contrast ventriculography (CV) as well as first-pass (FP) and equilibrium (EQ) radionuclide angiography at rest, and 14 additional patients had both radionuclide tests performed at rest as well as during peak supine bicycle exercise. The resting 5-min acquisition ejection fractions were compared between each method and the following correlations were generated: r = .92, n = 24 (CV-EQ), r = .92, n = 24 (CV-FP), and r = .95, n = 38 (FP-EQ). The variability of EQ-EF calculations between two independent observers was less than 2%; the mean absolute difference between two sequential 2-min acquisitions and the 5-min recordings was -.1 +/- 1.6%, and the reproducibility of sequential 2-min ejection fractions was excellent (r = .98). EQ and FP ejection fractions at symptom-limited exercise correlated well (r = .96, n = 14). We conclude that equilibrium radionuclide angiography is a valid method to measure EF both at rest as well as during peak exercise even when 2-min acquisition periods are used.
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000792:Angiography / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006334:Heart Function Tests; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D005082:Physical Exertion; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D012146:Rest; D013667:Technetium; D013997:Time Factors
D013667:Technetium