title: [Clinical impact of positron emission tomography by coincidence system with 18F-FDG on therapeutic decision-making of patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy after myocardial infarction].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the influence of the myocardium viability study by coincidence imaging using 18F-FDG in the clinical decision-making of patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy and left ventricular dysfunction.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty-one patients were submitted to myocardial viability study with 18F-FDG by coincidence imaging between September 2003 and November 2004. The physician answered a questionnaire about the choice of therapeutic procedure before and after PET.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Twenty-seven patients (87%) had myocardial viability. Twenty-one (68%) physicians thought that PET changed the therapeutic procedure for their patients and 27 (87%) considered that PET added to the therapeutic decision. The current treatment decision (clinical or revascularization) correlated with myocardial viability (p=0.006).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Coincidence imaging is a useful tool to help physicians in a difficult decision about the best treatment for patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy. Symptoms, electrocardiogram, ejection fraction and myocardial fibrosis area did not correlate with myocardium viability, so they should not be used to decide whether to perform a myocardial viability study or not.
authors.affiliation: Serviço de Medicina Nuclear, Hospital Pró-Cardíaco, Rio de Janeiro, RJ. renatafelix@cardiol.br
authors.forename: Renata Christian Martins
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Felix
authors.forename: Patrícia Lavatori
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Correa
authors.forename: Jader Cunha
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: de Azevedo
authors.forename: Hans Fernando da Rocha
authors.initials: HF
authors.lastname: Dohmann
authors.forename: Evandro Tinoco
authors.initials: ET
authors.lastname: Mesquita
authors.forename: Cláudio Tinoco
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Mesquita
mesh_terms: D003658:Decision Making, Computer-Assisted; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005260:Female; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D006321:Heart / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D017202:Myocardial Ischemia / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D009204:Myocardial Revascularization; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography / Q000379:methods*; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D017256:Technetium Tc 99m Sestamibi; D018487:Ventricular Dysfunction, Left / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging
chemical_list: D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D017256:Technetium Tc 99m Sestamibi