title: Standard provocative manoeuvres in patients with and without left bundle branch block studied with myocardial SPECT.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of anterior and septal defects in patients with left bundle branch block (LBBB), and to assess the diagnostic accuracy of myocardial single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) with technetium compounds in patients with and without LBBB using standard provocative manoeuvres.
  
  
  METHODS
  Five hundred and nine consecutive patients (456 without LBBB and 53 with LBBB) without previous infarction who had a coronary angiography performed within <3 months of the scintigraphic study were retrospectively evaluated. The same stress procedures were followed in all patients. (1) Only exercise when it was sufficient; and (2) exercise + simultaneous administration of dypiridamole if exercise was insufficient. Only reversible defects were considered positive and > or =50% of coronary stenosis was considered significant.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Prevalence of reversible anterior and septal defects was low (33% and 12%, respectively) in patients with LBBB. Although lower values of global sensitivity (81%) and specificity (73%) were obtained in these patients, there were no significant differences with respect to the patients without LBBB (89% and 86%, respectively). Specificity values for the diagnosis of stenosis of left anterior descending (78%), left circumflex (96%) and right coronary artery (74%) in patients with LBBB were lower, but without significant statistical differences with respect patients without LBBB (90%, 96% and 82%, respectively).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Myocardial SPECT with technetium compounds, using standard provocation manoeuvres, can be used in patients with LBBB with only a mild decrease in diagnostic accuracy as compared to patients without LBBB.
authors.affiliation: Hospital General Universitari Vall d'Hebron, P. Vall d'Hebron 119-129, 08035 Barcelona, Spain. jcandell@hg.vhebron.es
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Candell-Riera
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Oller-Martínez
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rosselló
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Pereztol-Valdés
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Castell-Conesa
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Aguadé-Bruix
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Soler-Peter
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Simó
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Santana-Boado
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: García-Burillo
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Soler-Soler
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002037:Bundle-Branch Block / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013667:Technetium; D013794:Thallium Radioisotopes; D015899:Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon; D014665:Vasodilator Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D013794:Thallium Radioisotopes; D014665:Vasodilator Agents; D013667:Technetium