[The value of nuclide myocardial scintigraphy for the clinical of acute viral myocarditis].
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the significance of nuclid myocardial scintigraphy (ECT) as a clinical method for guiding the diagnosis, therapy and prognosis of a cute viral myocarditis.


METHODS
48 patients with acute viral myocarditis were divided into two groups, 21 patients with ECT showing diffuse myocardial perfusion defect constituted a positive group and the remaining 27 with normal ECT a negative group. The relationship between the clinical data and treatment effect in the two groups were analyzed.


RESULTS
In the positive group, CK-MB in 57.14% of the patients was higher than normal and 71.43% of the patients had ventricular premature beats (VPB) and atrial premature beats (APB). The average number of VPB per 24 hour was (4228 +/- 1506) beats. In the negative group, the values of the above items were 33.33%, 44.44% and (2268 +/- 924) beats. The difference between the two groups was statistically significant (all of P < 0.01). After treatment of acute viral myocarditis, ECT of all the patients in the positive group returned to normal completely 85.71% of the patients with premature beats recovered from the arrhythmia. 38.10% of the patients with premature beats had arrhythmia again during a follow-up of 4 years. However, in the negative group, only 59.26% of the patients with premature beats recovered from the arrhythmia and 66.67% had arrhythmia again during the 4 years. The therapeutic effect between the two groups was also statistically different (all of P < 0.01).


CONCLUSIONS
Up to now, there has been no unified diagnostic standard for acute viral myocarditis, so ECT may be an exact and reliable diagnostic method for acute viral myocarditis. It may help to avoid error in diagnosis, waste in health resources and side effects of the medications.
Chen
L
L
Department of Cardiology, Third affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University of Medical Sciences, Guangzhou, 510630, China.
Liu
J
J
Zhou
H
H
D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006321:Heart / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009205:Myocarditis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000821:virology*; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D014777:Virus Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*