Variations in 123I-metaiodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) late heart mediastinal ratios in chronic heart failure: a need for standardisation and validation.
BACKGROUND
There is lack of validation and standardisation of acquisition parameters for myocardial (123)I-metaiodobenzylguanidine (MIBG). This lack of standardisation hampers large scale implementation of (123)I-MIBG parameters in the evaluation of patients with chronic heart failure (CHF).


METHODS
In a retrospective multi-centre study (123)I-MIBG planar scintigrams obtained on 290 CHF patients (82% male; 58% dilated cardiomyopathy; New York Heart Association [NYHA classification] > I) were reanalysed to determine the late heart-to-mediastinum ratio (H/M).


RESULTS
There was a large variation in acquisition parameters. Multivariate forward stepwise regression showed that a significant proportion (31%, p < 0.001) of the variation in late H/M could be explained by a model containing patient-related variables and acquisition parameters. Left ventricular ejection fraction (p < 0.001), type of collimation (p < 0.001), acquisition duration (p = 0.001), NYHA class (p = 0.028) and age (p = 0.034) were independent predictors of late H/M.


CONCLUSIONS
Acquisitions parameters are independent contributors to the variation of semi-quantitative measurements of cardiac (123)I-MIBG uptake. Improved standardisation of cardiac (123)I-MIBG imaging parameters would contribute to increased clinical applicability for this procedure.
Verberne
Hein J
HJ
Department of Nuclear Medicine, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. h.j.verberne@amc.uva.nl
Habraken
Jan B A
JB
van Eck-Smit
Berthe L F
BL
Agostini
Denis
D
Jacobson
Arnold F
AF
D019797:3-Iodobenzylguanidine; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D005060:Europe; D006321:Heart / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D008482:Mediastinum / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D012015:Reference Standards; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment / Q000379:methods*; D012307:Risk Factors; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D018487:Ventricular Dysfunction, Left / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*
D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D019797:3-Iodobenzylguanidine