Usefulness of dipyridamole-thallium-201 perfusion scanning for distinguishing ischemic from nonischemic cardiomyopathy.
To determine noninvasively the etiology of left ventricular (LV) dysfunction, 22 patients with a diagnosis of cardiomyopathy determined via cardiac catheterization and 5 normal control subjects underwent radionuclide ventriculography and intravenous dipyridamole-thallium-201 perfusion scanning. Both ischemically and nonischemically induced LV dysfunction had comparable global LV ejection fractions (24 +/- 6 vs 23 +/- 8%, respectively) and extent of segmental wall motion abnormalities. Right ventricular ejection fraction was significantly better in the group with an ischemic etiology of LV dysfunction (41 +/- 26 vs 13 +/- 10%, p less than 0.005) but significant group overlap was present. However, computer-assisted analysis of dipyridamole-thallium-201 myocardial perfusion scanning demonstrated more homogeneous myocardial perfusion in idiopathic cardiomyopathy (mean perfusion defect 25 +/- 11 vs 6 +/- 6%, p less than 0.001) and successfully predicted the correct etiology of LV dysfunction in 20 of 22 (91%) patients.
Eichhorn
E J
EJ
Department of Medicine and Radiology, New England Deaconess Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.
Kosinski
E J
EJ
Lewis
S M
SM
Hill
T C
TC
Emond
L H
LH
Leland
O S
OS
D009202:Cardiomyopathies / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004176:Dipyridamole / Q000009:adverse effects; D006801:Humans; D011875:Radionuclide Angiography; D013318:Stroke Volume; D013794:Thallium Radioisotopes
D013794:Thallium Radioisotopes; D004176:Dipyridamole