title: Assessment of cardiac sympathetic activity by MIBG imaging in patients with heart failure: a clinical appraisal.
abstract: Cardiac sympathetic activity can be assessed by (123)I-labelled meta-iodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) scintigraphy. Abnormalities of sympathetic cardiac activity have been shown in patients with heart failure, resulting in reduced MIBG uptake. Abnormal MIBG uptake predicts cardiac death, arrhythmias and all-cause mortality in patients with heart failure with a prognostic power incremental to that of conventional risk markers, and may identify patients at low risk of arrhythmias despite current guideline indications for implantable cardioverter defibrillator or patients at high risk for arrhythmias not fulfilling implantable cardioverter defibrillator indications. Prospective outcome studies are needed to assess whether MIBG imaging will have an impact on the mortality and morbidity of patients with heart failure.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Cardiovascular and Immunological Sciences, Federico II University, Naples, Italy. fpperron@unina.it
authors.forename: Pasquale
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Perrone-Filardi
authors.forename: Stefania
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Paolillo
authors.forename: Santo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dellegrottaglie
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gargiulo
authors.forename: Gianluigi
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Savarese
authors.forename: Caterina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Marciano
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Casaretti
authors.forename: Milena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cecere
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Musella
authors.forename: Elisabetta
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Pirozzi
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Parente
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cuocolo
mesh_terms: D019797:3-Iodobenzylguanidine / Q000378:metabolism; D018450:Disease Progression; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000401:mortality / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D011379:Prognosis; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals / Q000378:metabolism; D018570:Risk Assessment; D013564:Sympathetic Nervous System / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology
chemical_list: D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D019797:3-Iodobenzylguanidine