Clinical comparison of 180-degree and 360-degree data collection of technetium 99m sestamibi SPECT for detection of coronary artery disease.
BACKGROUND
With multihead gamma cameras both 180- and 360-degree acquisitions of myocardial perfusion are feasible. However, with 99mTC-labeled sestamibi (99mTC-sestamibi) the optimal clinically relevant demonstration of the superiority of 180- versus 360-degree data acquisition has not been performed.


METHODS
Seventy-two consecutive patients undergoing 99mTC-sestamibi imaging at rest and stress who had coronary angiography performed within 3 months were enrolled. The results of blinded interpretation of 13 segments per patient for the 180- and 360-degree data were compared for interobserver variability. Sensitivity and specificity of defect localization in the left anterior descending, right coronary, and left circumflex territories for detection of 50% or greater or 70% or greater stenoses by coronary angiography were compared.


RESULTS
There was significant segmental agreement of the stress perfusion images between observers for 180-degree (Kappa = 0.63) and 360-degree data (Kappa = 0.58), but the agreement was significantly higher for 180-degree data (p < 0.05). Overall sensitivity for the detection of coronary artery disease as a 50% or greater stenosis in 62 patients was 79% with 180-degree acquisition and 77% with 360-degree acquisition. The specificity for absence of coronary artery disease in 10 patients was also similar at 70% and 80%, respectively. There was no overall difference in detection of individual stenoses with a sensitivity of 54% with 180-degree acquisition and 50% with 360-degree acquisition. Specificity was also similar at 78% and 81%, respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
There is no difference in clinically relevant detection of overall coronary artery disease or individual stenoses using 180- or 360-degree acquisition of 99mTC-sestamibi myocardial perfusion images. However, 180-degree acquisition has superior interobserver reproducibility.
Freeman
M R
MR
Division of Cardiology, St. Michael's Hospital, University of Toronto, Ontario. freemanm@smh.toronto.on.ca
Konstantinou
C
C
Barr
A
A
Greyson
N D
ND
D017023:Coronary Angiography; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015588:Observer Variation; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D017256:Technetium Tc 99m Sestamibi; D015899:Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon / Q000379:methods*
D017256:Technetium Tc 99m Sestamibi