title: Diagnostic value of myocardial radionuclide imaging in patients with multivessel coronary disease.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Myocardial perfusion radionuclide imaging (MPRI) is a noninvasive method extremely useful for evaluating ischemia in patients with coronary disease. However, the idea that this method would not be effective for patients with multivessel coronary disease is still entertained.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Assess the value of MPRI with gated-SPECT for tracing pharmacological stress-induced ischemia in patients with multivessel obstructive coronary disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  We evaluated 68 patients with multivessel obstructive coronary disease applying coronary angiography for performing MPRI under pharmacologic stress with dipyridamole. The tests were analyzed by two nuclear medicine physicians without prior knowledge of the result of the coronary angiography.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Gated-SPECT revealed that, out of the patients, 64 (92.8%) showed images of perfusion abnormalities and 4 (7.2%) showed normal perfusion, given that three of the latter showed functional changes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  MPRI has shown high value for identifying patients with multivessel coronary disease, since most patients had perfusion abnormalities indicative of ischemia.
authors.affiliation: Instituto Dante Pazzanese de Cardiologia, São Paulo, SP, Brasil. dadasiqueira@yahoo.com.br
authors.forename: Maria Eduarda Menezes de
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Siqueira
authors.forename: Erly Medeiros Vieira
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Segundo Neto
authors.forename: Juliana Fernandes
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Kelendjian
authors.forename: Paola Emanuela Pogio
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Smanio
mesh_terms: D055426:Cardiac-Gated Single-Photon Emission Computer-Assisted Tomography; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D003331:Coronary Vessels / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004176:Dipyridamole; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005260:Female; D006321:Heart / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D055414:Myocardial Perfusion Imaging; D014665:Vasodilator Agents; D018487:Ventricular Dysfunction, Left / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging
chemical_list: D014665:Vasodilator Agents; D004176:Dipyridamole