title: Prognostic value of dipyridamole thallium-201 scintigraphy in patients with stable chest pain.
abstract: The usefulness of dipyridamole testing with planar thallium-201 scintigraphy for assessing risk of subsequent cardiac events was evaluated in 373 patients with stable chest pain. Follow-up information was complete in 362 patients (mean age 64 +/- 9 years). During an average follow-up period of 18 months, cardiac events occurred in 59 patients--unstable angina in 27, nonfatal acute myocardial infarction in 11, and death from cardiac causes in 21. A history of previous myocardial infarction, congestive heart failure, or coronary bypass surgery before the study, or the presence of an abnormal scan or one with a fixed perfusion defect was associated with a significantly increased frequency of subsequent cardiac events (p less than 0.05). However, the presence of a reversible perfusion defect was not associated with increased risk (p = 0.1872). Stepwise logistic regression showed that a history of coronary artery bypass surgery before the study and the presence of a fixed perfusion defect were the only variables with independent predictive value for occurrence of a subsequent cardiac event (p less than 0.05). Survival analysis revealed a significantly increased cardiac event rate in patients with abnormal scans compared with those with normal scans over a 30-month follow-up period (p less than 0.01). We conclude that dipyridamole testing with thallium-201 scintigraphy can provide prognostic information concerning risk of future cardiac events in patients with stable chest pain. The presence of a fixed perfusion defect in particular identifies patients at increased risk.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, St. Louis Veterans Administration Medical Center, MO 63125.
authors.forename: H G
authors.initials: HG
authors.lastname: Stratmann
authors.forename: L T
authors.initials: LT
authors.lastname: Younis
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kong
mesh_terms: D000787:Angina Pectoris / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000401:mortality; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000401:mortality; D004176:Dipyridamole; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006321:Heart / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012307:Risk Factors; D016019:Survival Analysis; D013794:Thallium Radioisotopes; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D013794:Thallium Radioisotopes; D004176:Dipyridamole