[The 3-year prognosis of patients with suspected coronary disease and a normal myocardial scintigraphy with thallium-dipyridamole].
OBJECTIVE
To assess the 3-year prognosis of patients with suspected coronary artery disease and a normal dipyridamole-thallium scintigram.


METHODS
43 patients, 16 male and 27 female, mean age 55.8 +/- 9.2 years with suspected coronary artery disease. Forty-two patients had anginal complaints. There was a previous positive treadmill exercise test in 14 patients. All the patients had a normal dipyridamole-thallium SPECT.


METHODS
Dipyridamole was infused at a rate of 0.56 mg/kg in 4 minutes followed by 3 minutes of low-level cycloergometer exercise. Two mCi of thallium-201 were injected 3 minutes after the end of dipyridamole infusion. Stress and redistribution SPECT acquisitions were performed respectively 5-10 minutes and 4 hours after thallium-201 injection. The cardiac events during a 3-year follow-up were analysed.


RESULTS
No patient had unstable angina, PTCA, CABG or death. One patient suffered an inferior myocardial infarction 28 months after the scintigraphy. The event rate was 0.78% per patient per year.


CONCLUSIONS
Three-year prognosis in patients with suspected coronary artery disease after a normal dipyridamole thallium SPECT is excellent approaching that of the general population.
Trabulo
M
M
Serviço de Cardiologia, Hospital de Santa Cruz, Carnaxide.
Gil
V
V
Sousa
L
L
Cunha
R
R
Ferreira
J
J
Ventosa
A
A
Calqueiro
J
J
Seabra-Gomes
R
R
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000787:Angina Pectoris / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000401:mortality; D000788:Angina Pectoris, Variant / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000401:mortality; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000401:mortality; D004176:Dipyridamole; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006321:Heart / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D013794:Thallium Radioisotopes; D013997:Time Factors; D014665:Vasodilator Agents
D013794:Thallium Radioisotopes; D014665:Vasodilator Agents; D004176:Dipyridamole