title: Clinical application of PET/CT fusion imaging for three-dimensional myocardial scar and left ventricular anatomy during ventricular tachycardia ablation.
abstract: Integration of 3D PET with Voltage Map for VT Ablation. Background: Image integration has the potential to display three-dimensional (3D) scar anatomy and facilitate substrate characterization for ventricular tachycardia (VT) ablation. However, the current generation of clinical mapping systems cannot display 3D left ventricle (LV) anatomy with embedded 3D scar reconstructions or allow display of border zone and high-resolution anatomic scar features. Objective: This study reports the first clinical experience with a mapping system allowing an integrated display of 3D LV anatomy with detailed 2D/3D scar and border zone reconstruction. Methods: Ten patients scheduled for VT ablation underwent contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) and Rubidium-82 perfusion/F-18 Fluorodeoxyglucose metabolic Positron Emission Tomography (PET) imaging to reconstruct 3D LV and scar anatomy. LV and scar models were co-registered using a 3D mapping system and analyzed with a 17-segment model. Metabolic thresholding was used to reconstruct the 3D border zone. Real-time display of CT images was performed during ablation. Results: Co-registration (error 4.3 +/- 0.7 mm) allowed simultaneous visualization of 3D LV anatomy and embedded scar and guided additional voltage mapping. Segments containing homogenous or partial scar correlated in 94.4% and 85.7% between voltage maps and 3D PET scar reconstructions, respectively. Voltage-defined scar and normal myocardium had relative FDG uptakes of 40 +/- 13% and 89 +/- 30% (P < 0.05). The 3D border zone correlated best with a 46% metabolic threshold. Real-time display of registered high-resolution CT images allowed the simultaneous characterization of scar-related anatomic changes. Conclusion: Integration of PET/CT reconstruction allows simultaneous 3D display of myocardial scar and border zone embedded into the LV anatomy as well as the display of detailed scar anatomy. Multimodality imaging may enable a new image-guided approach to substrate-guided VT ablation.
authors.affiliation: University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tian
authors.forename: Mark F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: Ponraj
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Chinnadurai
authors.forename: Vasken
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Dilsizian
authors.forename: Aharon
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Turgeman
authors.forename: Aharon
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Abbo
authors.forename: Kalpitkumar
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Gajera
authors.forename: Chenyang
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Plotnick
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Peters
authors.forename: Magdi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Saba
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shorofsky
authors.forename: Timm
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Dickfeld
mesh_terms: D055011:Ablation Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D000368:Aged; D009202:Cardiomyopathies; D002921:Cicatrix / Q000628:therapy; D017147:Defibrillators, Implantable / Q000009:adverse effects; D005260:Female; D006335:Heart Injuries / Q000473:pathology*; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D064847:Multimodal Imaging / Q000379:methods; D009206:Myocardium / Q000473:pathology*; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography / Q000379:methods*; D017180:Tachycardia, Ventricular / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods*