Quantitative assessment of regional myocardial flow reserve using tc-99m-sestamibi imaging.
BACKGROUND
The aims of this study were to develop a method for quantitative estimation of the myocardial blood flow index (MBFI) and myocardial flow reserve (MFR) of the whole left ventricle using (99m)technetium (Tc-99m)-sestamibi imaging.


RESULTS
Twenty-two patients with suspected coronary artery disease and 7 controls underwent both Tc-99m-sestamibi imaging and O-15 water positron emission tomography (PET). The global MBFI was calculated on the basis of the microsphere model from the ratio of the myocardial count to the area under the time - activity curve on the aortic arch. The regional MBFI was calculated from the relative distributions of Tc-99m-sestamibi uptake values. The regional MBFI and MFR (Tc-MFR) obtained using single-photon emission computed tomography were compared with the myocardial blood flow (MBF) and MFR (PET-MFR) obtained using PET as the gold standard. Regional MBFI significantly correlated with the MBF obtained using PET. Regional Tc-MFR also correlated with the regional PET-MFR, with some underestimation.


CONCLUSIONS
These results indicate that regional MBF and MFR may be estimated by dynamic Tc-99m-sestamibi imaging and can be used for the early detection and estimation of the functional severity of coronary lesions without the need for a PET camera.
Tsukamoto
Takahiro
T
Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan.
Ito
Yoshinori
Y
Noriyasu
Kazuyuki
K
Morita
Koichi
K
Katoh
Chietsugu
C
Okamoto
Hiroshi
H
Tamaki
Nagara
N
D000368:Aged; D017023:Coronary Angiography / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D003326:Coronary Circulation; D023921:Coronary Stenosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D005260:Female; D006439:Hemodynamics; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010104:Oxygen Radioisotopes; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D012039:Regional Blood Flow; D017256:Technetium Tc 99m Sestamibi; D015899:Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon; D016277:Ventricular Function, Left
D010104:Oxygen Radioisotopes; D017256:Technetium Tc 99m Sestamibi