title: Long-term prognostic value of a normal dipyridamole thallium-201 perfusion scan.
abstract: In a 4-year period, 84 patients who were referred for a dipyridamole thallium-201 stress test to rule out significant coronary artery disease had normal scans. A dipyridamole study was recommended instead of exercise because of arthritis, severe obesity, peripheral vascular disease, pulmonary disease, other chronic illnesses, or combinations of these problems. All patients had three-view (i.e., anterior, shallow left anterior oblique, and steep left anterior oblique) planar thallium-201 imaging 10 minutes and 3.5 hours after administration of 0.6 mg/kg of intravenous dipyridamole. The patients were followed for 42 +/- 13 (range 1-58) months to document the cardiac event rate. Of the 84 patients with normal results, 14 died during the follow-up period from noncardiac causes. Three other patients died 29-51 months after the test due to an acute myocardial infarction, a probable acute myocardial infarction, and sudden cardiac death, respectively. Of the survivors, 5 suffered an acute myocardial infarction 28-50 months after the dipyridamole thallium scan and 1 had coronary artery bypass grafting due to increasing angina pectoris 58 months after the scan (overall cardiac event rate of 0.4% per year). Of the remaining 61 patients, 39 (64%) were asymptomatic, 20 (33%) had the same symptoms they had at the time of testing without significant deterioration, while 2 patients (3%) had deterioration of their chest pains but no cardiac complication. Thus, in this group of patients, a normal dipyridamole thallium-201 perfusion scan predicted a good cardiovascular outcome for at least 24 months following the test.
authors.affiliation: University of Wisconsin Medical School, Milwaukee.
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Gal
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gunasekera
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Massardo
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shalev
authors.forename: S C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Port
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000787:Angina Pectoris / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000401:mortality; D002423:Cause of Death; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000401:mortality; D016757:Death, Sudden, Cardiac / Q000453:epidemiology; D004176:Dipyridamole; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007262:Infusions, Intravenous; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000401:mortality; D017202:Myocardial Ischemia / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000401:mortality; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D015996:Survival Rate; D013794:Thallium Radioisotopes
chemical_list: D013794:Thallium Radioisotopes; D004176:Dipyridamole