Relationship between cardiac metaiodobenzylguanidine uptake and hemodynamic, functional and neurohormonal parameters in patients with heart failure.
BACKGROUND
Sympathetic activation plays a pivotal role in heart failure attributing to the disease process and symptoms of the patient. Myocardial sympathetic activity can be visualized using radioiodinated metaiodobenzylguanidine 123I-MIBG, a structural analogue of norepinephrine (NE).


OBJECTIVE
We investigated whether a relation exists between myocardial MIBG uptake and different functional, hemodynamic and neurohormonal parameters in patients with chronic heart failure.


RESULTS
The study comprised 52 patients with stable congestive heart failure functional class II or III and left ventricular ejection fractions of <35%. The heart/mediastinum ratio (H/M ratio) was calculated to quantify myocardial MIBG uptake. A significant correlation was found between peak oxygen consumption and maximal exercise duration as exercise parameters and H/M ratio of MIBG (R, respectively, 0.36 and 0.4, P<0.05). From all other measured parameters, only plasma NE showed a significant correlation with the H/M ratio of MIBG.


CONCLUSIONS
Cardiac sympathetic activity, as measured by myocardial MIBG uptake, is correlated with peak exercise parameters.
de Milliano
P A
PA
Department of Cardiology, ziekenhuis Hilversum, Hilversum and the Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. pardemilliano@wxs.nl
van Eck-Smit
B L
BL
van Zwieten
P A
PA
de Groot
A C
AC
Tijssen
J G
JG
Lie
K I
KI
D019797:3-Iodobenzylguanidine; D000368:Aged; D002908:Chronic Disease; D018450:Disease Progression; D005080:Exercise Test; D005260:Female; D006321:Heart / Q000503:physiopathology; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006439:Hemodynamics / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018377:Neurotransmitter Agents / Q000097:blood*; D009638:Norepinephrine / Q000097:blood; D010101:Oxygen Consumption / Q000502:physiology; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D013318:Stroke Volume / Q000502:physiology
D018377:Neurotransmitter Agents; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D019797:3-Iodobenzylguanidine; D009638:Norepinephrine