Assessment of cardiac function in patients with heart disease by quantitative gated myocardial perfusion SPECT.
OBJECTIVE
We examined the cardiac function of patients who underwent Tc-99m sestamibi quantitative gated myocardial single photon emission computed tomography with 16-framing data acquisition between January 1, 2004 and March 31, 2006 for an evaluation of suspected or known heart disease in our hospital.


METHODS
In 192 patients aged >or=40 years, the left ventricular (LV) systolic function [parameter: ejection fraction (EF)] and diastolic function [first third filling fraction (1/3FF), peak filling rate (PFR), and time-to-peak filling (TPF)] were estimated by volume curve analysis. In 51 (age >or=60 years) of 192 patients, brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) was also measured.


RESULTS
The correlation between diastolic parameters PFR and 1/3FF was mild (r = 0.28, P < 0.001). On the basis of EF and PFR, 192 patients were divided into four groups: P (preserved LV function), Q (isolated systolic dysfunction, EF < 50%), R (isolated diastolic dysfunction, PFR < 1.8 EDV/s), and S (both dysfunctions). The numbers of patients in P, Q, R, and S groups were 94 (49.0%), 7 (3.6%), 31 (16.1%), and 60 (31.3%), respectively. The 1/3FF correlated weakly but significantly with age (r = -0.16, P < 0.05). The TPF also correlated weakly with age (r = 0.25, P < 0.01), but EF did not. The baPWV, an indicator of cardiovascular stiffness, correlated inversely with 1/3FF (r = -0.59, P < 0.001) or correlated positively with TPF (r = 0.45, P < 0.001), but not with EF.


CONCLUSIONS
Our study suggests that cardiovascular stiffness associated with increased baPWV may contribute to the occurrence of diastolic dysfunction in elderly patients.
Nakae
Ichiro
I
Department of Cardiovascular and Respiratory Medicine, Shiga University of Medical Science, Seta, Otsu 520-2192, Japan. nakae@belle.shiga-med.ac.jp
Matsuo
Shinro
S
Tsutamoto
Takayoshi
T
Matsumoto
Tetsuya
T
Mitsunami
Kenichi
K
Horie
Minoru
M
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D015637:Gated Blood-Pool Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D017256:Technetium Tc 99m Sestamibi; D015899:Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon / Q000379:methods*; D018487:Ventricular Dysfunction, Left / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*
D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D017256:Technetium Tc 99m Sestamibi