[Clinical predictors of the presence of perfusion defects in more than than one territory in myocardial scintigraphy with GATED-SPECT].
OBJECTIVE
Extension of perfusion defects is associated with outcome in patients undergoing myocardial scintigraphy. The study aimed to identify the clinical characteristics that can predict the existence of perfusion defects in more than one territory in patients referred for myocardial scintigraphy with GATED-SPECT.


METHODS
A total of 193 patients undergoing myocardial scintigraphy with GATED-SPECT (99mTc-tetrofosmine) were studied. Clinical variables and scintigraphy results were studied to determine what clinical variables are associated with perfusion defects in more than one territory.


RESULTS
The number of territories with perfusion defects per patient was 1.1 0.8 and 29% had perfusion defects in > 1 territory. Patients with greater probability of having perfusion defects in > 1 territory were those with previous myocardial infarction (44% vs 21%, p = 0.030) and males (33% vs 10%, p = 0.006). In addition, patients with > 2 coronary risk factors had a statistical tendency to have defects in > 1 territory (47% vs 20%, p = 0.057). Only 15% of the patients with one of these three characteristics had perfusion defects in > 1 territory in comparison with 45% and 83% in those with 2 or 3 factors, respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
Considering 3 simple clinical characteristics (male gender, previous infarction and existence of > 2 coronary risk factors), it is possible to predict which patients are more likely to show perfusion defects in > 1 territory during GATED-SPECT myocardial scintigraphy.
Ortega
A
A
Servicio de Medicina Nuclear e Instituto de Enfermedades del Corazón, Hospital Ramón y Cajal, Madrid, Spain.
Castro-Beiras
J M
JM
Moreno
R
R
Mateo
A
A
Muela
A
A
Asín
E
E
Crespo
A
A
D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D005260:Female; D015637:Gated Blood-Pool Imaging / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D015899:Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon