title: Scintigraphic evidence of the "no reflow" phenomenon in human beings after coronary thrombolysis.
abstract: To assess whether the absence of new thallium-201 uptake after successful intracoronary thrombolysis reflects a disturbance of myocardial cell function or lack of capillary reperfusion, dual isotope scintigraphic studies with thallium-201 and technetium-99m micro-albumin aggregates were performed in 16 patients with acute anterior myocardial infarction. Intracoronary thallium-201 and technetium-99m scintigraphy performed before intracoronary thrombolysis in 12 of the 16 patients resulted in identical thallium-201 and technetium-99m defect sizes. Immediately after intracoronary thrombolysis, thallium-201 and technetium-99m scintigraphy was repeated in 11 of the 12 patients. In 4 of the 11, the initial thallium and technetium scintigraphic defects were significantly reduced, and in 6 of the 11, they were only slightly reduced; there was no difference in the size of the residual defect as assessed with both radionuclides in all 10 of the 11 patients. In the eleventh patient, there was a significant reduction of the initial technetium-99m scintigraphic defect but no change in the size of the thallium-201 defect. In four other patients, scintigrams were obtained only after intracoronary thrombolysis; these revealed no difference in thallium-201 and technetium-99m defect size. In seven of eight patients restudied 2 to 4 weeks after intracoronary thrombolysis, thallium-201 and technetium-99m defect sizes were identical with those immediately after intracoronary thrombolysis; in the eighth patient there was no difference in thallium-201 and technetium-99m defect size, although such a difference had been present immediately after intracoronary thrombolysis.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001157:Arterial Occlusive Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology; D003326:Coronary Circulation; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D005342:Fibrinolysis; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology; D009206:Myocardium / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D010477:Perfusion; D011868:Radioisotopes; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D013668:Technetium Tc 99m Aggregated Albumin; D013793:Thallium; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D011868:Radioisotopes; D013668:Technetium Tc 99m Aggregated Albumin; D013793:Thallium