title: Prone decubitus: a solution to inferior wall attenuation in thallium-201 myocardial tomography.
abstract: We propose an efficient method to suppress inferior wall attenuation in 201TI 180 degrees myocardial tomography. We systematically performed redistribution studies in both supine and prone decubitus, assuming that the latter should result in shifting with respect to each other's cardiac structures and diaphragm as well as subphrenic organs possibly responsible for attenuation. The comparison of both studies in 25 normal subjects by visual interpretation and circumferential profiles analysis showed a complete suppression of significant attenuation in the inferior wall in prone studies. In addition and consequently, the standard deviation of activity in this area was markedly reduced and became close to its value in anterior and lateral walls. This simple technique now routinely performed in over 400 patients drastically improves specificity in the evaluation of inferior wall abnormalities by suppressing attenuation artifacts and, incidently, the effect of high individual variability in left phrenic and subphrenic anatomic configuration.
authors: Sevice de Médecine Nucléaire, Hôpital Purpan, Toulouse, France.
authors: J P
authors: JP
authors: Esquerré
authors: F J
authors: FJ
authors: Coca
authors: S J
authors: SJ
authors: Martinez
authors: R F
authors: RF
authors: Guiraud
mesh_terms: D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011187:Posture; D013794:Thallium Radioisotopes; D014055:Tomography, Emission-Computed
chemical_list: D013794:Thallium Radioisotopes