An ultrashort 1-day protocol of Tc-99m tetrofosmin.
OBJECTIVE
This study describes a new 1-day protocol with Tc-99m tetrofosmin that requires only 100 minutes to obtain both stress and resting cardiac images by using a double-injection and subtraction method.


METHODS
This procedure was performed in 48 consecutive patients. Rest-rest double injections were performed in eight patients (five men, three women; mean age, 69 +/- 9.8 years ) to evaluate count and image reproducibility (subprotocol A), and stress-rest and additional resting perfusion images (true rest) were done on a different day in 11 patients (five men, six women; mean age, 63 +/- 5.9 years) to confirm the validity of the new protocol (subprotocol B).


RESULTS
Image quality scores of the resting image were excellent (35 of 48, or 72.9%), good (7 of 48, or 14.6%), fair (3 of 48, or 6.3%), and poor (3 of 48, or 6.3%). The scintigraphic findings with the new protocol corresponded closely with those of angiography in 26 of 34 cases (76.5%), with a tendency for underestimation (in 5 of 34 cases, or 14.7%) rather than overestimation (in 3 of 34 cases, or 8.8%). In subprotocol A, count reproducibility between the two resting images was excellent (r = 0.95; P < 0.0001); and in subprotocol B, the early-rest images were concordant visually and quantitatively with the true rest images (r = 0.89, P < 0.0001).


CONCLUSIONS
Although there are some limitations, this protocol can be used as a routine stress-rest protocol.
Hattori
N
N
Department of Nuclear Medicine, Kyoto University, Japan. hattori@kuhp.kyoto-u.ac.jp
Tamaki
N
N
Masuda
I
I
Taniguchi
Y
Y
Kitano
H
H
Kudoh
T
T
Inubushi
M
M
Tadamura
E
E
Magata
Y
Y
Nakao
K
K
Konishi
J
J
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001692:Biological Transport; D002985:Clinical Protocols; D017023:Coronary Angiography; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D005080:Exercise Test; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D006321:Heart / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017202:Myocardial Ischemia / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D009943:Organophosphorus Compounds / Q000097:blood / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D015609:Organotechnetium Compounds / Q000097:blood / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D010349:Patient Compliance; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals / Q000097:blood / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013382:Subtraction Technique; D015899:Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon / Q000379:methods*