title: Effects of myocardial revascularization on regional thallium-201 uptake and systolic function in regions with reverse redistribution on tomographic thallium-201 imaging at rest in patients with chronic coronary artery disease.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  There is growing evidence that myocardial segments with reverse redistribution are viable in patients with chronic coronary artery disease. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of myocardial revascularization on systolic function and thallium-201 uptake in such segments.
  
  
  METHODS
  Rest-redistribution thallium-201 tomography before and after myocardial revascularization was performed in 47 patients with chronic coronary artery disease. Regional function was evaluated by two-dimensional echocardiography before and after revascularization according to a 3-point scale (1 = normal, 2 = hypokinetic, 3 = a/dyskinetic). Improvement of dysfunctional segments was defined when systolic function score decreased > or =1 after revascularization. Reverse redistribution was defined as >8% decrease in relative thallium-201 uptake between rest and redistribution images.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Reverse redistribution was found in 27 (57%) of 47 patients, corresponding to 60 (11%) of 564 myocardial segments. Of such segments, 24 (40%) had normal systolic function, 19 (32%) were hypokinetic, and 17 (28%) were a/dyskinetic. Thirty-six segments underwent myocardial revascularization, and reverse redistribution was no longer present in 86% of them subsequent to the procedure. Of 26 dyssynergic segments with reverse redistribution subjected to revascularization, 18 (69%) improved at follow-up.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The findings of the present study indicate that reverse redistribution is a reversible phenomenon and is often associated with improvement of systolic function following revascularization in patients with chronic coronary artery disease.
authors.affiliation: Cattedra di Medicina Nucleare, Istituto di Scienze Radiologiche, Facoltà di Medicina e Chirurgia, Università Federico II, Napoli, Italy.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pace
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Perrone-Filardi
authors.forename: P P
authors.initials: PP
authors.lastname: Mainenti
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Prastaro
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cuocolo
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Varrone
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Vezzuto
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Crisci
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Soricelli
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Piscione
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Chiariello
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Salvatore
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery; D004452:Echocardiography; D005260:Female; D006321:Heart / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009200:Myocardial Contraction; D009204:Myocardial Revascularization; D013318:Stroke Volume; D013599:Systole; D013794:Thallium Radioisotopes; D014055:Tomography, Emission-Computed
chemical_list: D013794:Thallium Radioisotopes