title: Failure of negative dipyridamole thallium scans to predict perioperative myocardial ischaemia and infarction.
abstract: Three cases of postoperative myocardial infarction are reported in patients with normal or fixed defects on preoperative dipyridamole thallium scans (interpreted as "negative" for active cardiac ischaemic risk). All patients were monitored with an ambulatory electrocardiographic recorder from the evening before surgery through the first two postoperative days. Two of the patients demonstrated preoperative or early postoperative ischaemia, suggesting that the test was a false negative. The third patient did not demonstrate ischaemia during the period of monitoring, but developed a myocardial infarction during the third postoperative day, suggesting progression of the underlying coronary artery disease. Preoperative dipyridamole thallium imaging may result in false negative scans in selected high-risk populations.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology, Yale University School of Medicine, Yale New Haven Hospital, CT 06510.
authors.forename: L A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Fleisher
authors.forename: A H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Nelson
authors.forename: S H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Rosenbaum
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology; D003402:Creatine Kinase / Q000032:analysis; D004176:Dipyridamole; D015716:Electrocardiography, Ambulatory; D005188:False Negative Reactions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007527:Isoenzymes; D008297:Male; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000201:enzymology / Q000503:physiopathology; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D013794:Thallium Radioisotopes
chemical_list: D007527:Isoenzymes; D013794:Thallium Radioisotopes; D004176:Dipyridamole; D003402:Creatine Kinase