title: Head-to-head comparison of dipyridamole echocardiography and stress perfusion scintigraphy for the detection of coronary artery disease: a meta-analysis. Comparison between stress echo and scintigraphy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This meta-analysis was performed to assess and compare the diagnostic accuracy of dipyridamole echocardiography test (DET) vs. stress perfusion scintigraphy (SPS) for the diagnosis of coronary artery disease (CAD).
  
  
  METHODS
  We performed a meta-analysis of peer reviewed articles, published in English language reporting head-to-head comparison of DET vs. SPS for the diagnosis of CAD. Data of 10 studies comprising 651 patients from 10 different institutions were analyzed. DET dose was 0.56 mg/kg (low dose) in two studies, 0.75 mg/kg in 10 min or 0.84 mg/kg in 10 min (high dose) in six studies, and 0.84 mg/kg in 6 min (accelerated high dose) in one study and 0.84 mg/kg in 10 min + 1 mg atropine co-administration (augmented dose) in one study. SPS was performed with dipyridamole in six studies, with exercise in three studies and with dobutamine in one study.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The overall diagnostic accuracy of the two tests was almost similar, 77% (95% CI = 74-81) for DET vs. 81% (95% CI = 78-84) for SPS (p = ns). SPS gave higher sensitivity, 88% (95% CI = 85-89) than DET, 70% (95% CI = 66-75) in cumulative data (p < 0.0001) while DET gave higher specificity, 90% (95% CI = 86-94) vs. 67% (95% CI = 60-73) (p < 0.0001). With state of the art protocols, i.e. accelerated dose and atropine augmented high dose, sensitivity of DET improved and overall accuracy was better than SPS (p < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  DET and SPS have a similar diagnostic accuracy. DET has a markedly higher specificity regardless of the dose employed. SPS shows a superior sensitivity, however this sensitivity gap diminishes when more aggressive dipyridamole dosage is used for the stress echocardiography.
authors.affiliation: CNR, Institute of Clinical Physiology, Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: Muhammad B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Imran
authors.forename: Attila
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pálinkás
authors.forename: Eugenio
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Picano
mesh_terms: D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D004176:Dipyridamole; D025401:Echocardiography, Stress; D006801:Humans; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014665:Vasodilator Agents
chemical_list: D014665:Vasodilator Agents; D004176:Dipyridamole