title: Usefulness of technetium-99m sestamibi myocardial perfusion SPECT in detection of cardiovascular involvement in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus or systemic sclerosis.
abstract: The main purpose of the study was to evaluate the utility of technetium-99m sestamibi myocardial perfusion single-photon emission computed tomography (Tc-99m sestamibi SPECT) in detection of cardiac involvement in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) or systemic sclerosis (SS) patients. Fifty SLE or SS female patients with cardiac symptom/sign such as chest discomfort and/or dyspnea and/or occasionally palpitation and 50 SLE or SS female patients without any cardiac symptom/sign were investigated using Tc-99m sestamibi SPECT during rest and stress after dipyridamole infusion. Twenty-five age- and sex-matched healthy females were also included as controls in this study. The results of Tc-99m sestamibi SPECT were classified into four types including normal, persistent perfusion defect (PD), reversible perfusion defect (RD), and reverse perfusion defect (RR). The results of Tc-99m sestamibi SPECT in the 25 healthy females were normal. Perfusion abnormalities were detected in 44/50 (88%) symptomatic SLE or SS patients. However, myocardial perfusion abnormalities were only detected in 19/50 (38%) asymptomatic SLE or SS patients (P value<0.05 by a chi2 test). However, for risk factor of coronary artery disease and abnormal resting EKG, the incidences were not significant between symptomatic and asymptomatic patients (P values >0.05 by a chi2 test). Tc-99m sestamibi SPECT is a useful noninvasive imaging modality to detect cardiac involvement in symptomatic or asymptomatic SLE or SS patients.
authors.affiliation: Cardiovascular Division, Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Ching-Cheng
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Hueisch-Jy
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Ding
authors.forename: Yu-Wen
authors.initials: YW
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Jhi-Joung
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Shung-Tai
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Ho
authors.forename: Albert
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kao
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000209:etiology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005260:Female; D006321:Heart / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D008180:Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D012307:Risk Factors; D012595:Scleroderma, Systemic / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D017256:Technetium Tc 99m Sestamibi; D015899:Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon
chemical_list: D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D017256:Technetium Tc 99m Sestamibi