Left ventricular cavity-to-myocardium count ratio in technetium-99m-sestamibi SPECT in the detection of resting left ventricular dysfunction.
The aim of this study was to assess the value of the cavity-to-myocardium count ratio (C/M ratio) calculated in resting 99mTc-sestamibi SPECT images to identify patients with depressed left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF).


METHODS
In the 95 patients studied, the C/M ratio was calculated from the midventricular short-axis slice using regions of interest drawn in the center of the cavity and in the most active area of the ventricular wall; its value was compared with LVEF measured using two-dimensional echocardiography.


RESULTS
The C/M ratio correlated with LVEF (r = 0.6, p < 0.000001) and was significantly lower in patients with abnormal LVEF than those with normal LVEF: 0.026 +/- 0.028 versus 0.125 +/- 0.093, p < 0.000001. In the entire patient population, a C/M ratio < 0.07 identified the patients with depressed LVEF with a 94% sensitivity, 71% specificity and 82% accuracy.


CONCLUSIONS
The resting 99mTc-sestamibi C/M ratio is a useful parameter in identifying patients with depressed LVEF directly from the SPECT perfusion images.
Sciagrà
R
R
Department of Clinical Pathophysiology, University of Florence, Italy.
Bisi
G
G
Buonamici
P
P
Zerauschek
F
F
Santoro
G M
GM
Meldolesi
U
U
Fazzini
P F
PF
Pupi
A
A
D004452:Echocardiography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012372:ROC Curve; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013318:Stroke Volume / Q000502:physiology; D017256:Technetium Tc 99m Sestamibi; D015899:Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon; D018487:Ventricular Dysfunction, Left / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*
D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D017256:Technetium Tc 99m Sestamibi