[Assessment of cardiac sympathetic nerve activity in children with chronic heart failure using quantitative iodine-123 metaiodobenzylguanidine imaging].
OBJECTIVE
Cardiac sympathetic nerve activity in children with chronic heart failure was examined by quantitative iodine-123 metaiodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) myocardial imaging in 33 patients aged 7.5 +/- 6.1 years (range 0-18 years), including 8 with cardiomyopathy, 15 with congenital heart disease, 3 with anthracycrine cardiotoxicity, 3 with myocarditis, 3 with primary pulmonary hypertension and 1 with Pompe's disease.


METHODS
Anterior planar images were obtained 15 min and 3 hr after the injection of iodine-123 MIBG. The cardiac iodine-123 MIBG uptake was assessed as the heart to upper mediastinum uptake activity ratio of the delayed image (H/M) and the cardiac percentage washout rate (%WR).


RESULTS
The severity of chronic heart failure was class I (no medication) in 8 patients, class II (no symptom with medication) in 9, class III (symptom even with medication) in 10 and class IV (late cardiac death) in 6. H/M was 2.33 +/- 0.22 in chronic heart failure class I, 2.50 +/- 0.34 in class II, 1.95 +/- 0.61 in class III, and 1.39 +/- 0.29 in class IV (p < 0.05). %WR was 24.8 +/- 12.8% in chronic heart failure class I, 23.3 +/- 10.2% in class II, 49.2 +/- 24.5% in class III, and 66.3 +/- 26.5% in class IV (p < 0.05). The low H/M and high %WR were proportionate to the severity of chronic heart failure.


CONCLUSIONS
Cardiac iodine-123 MIBG showed cardiac adrenergic neuronal dysfunction in children with severe chronic heart failure. Quantitative iodine-123 MIBG myocardial imaging is clinically useful as a predictor of therapeutic outcome and mortality in children with chronic heart failure.
Karasawa
K
K
Department of Pediatrics, Nihon University School of Medicine, Ohyaguchi Kamimachi 30-1, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo 173-8610.
Ayusawa
M
M
Noto
N
N
Sumitomo
N
N
Okada
T
T
Harada
K
K
D019797:3-Iodobenzylguanidine; D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D006321:Heart / Q000294:innervation*; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013564:Sympathetic Nervous System / Q000503:physiopathology*
D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D019797:3-Iodobenzylguanidine