title: Gated SPECT myocardial perfusion imaging, intraventricular synchronism, and cardiac events in heart failure.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to evaluate the ability of rest gated SPECT myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) and intraventricular synchronism, to identify heart failure (HF) patients most likely to experience cardiac events.
  
  
  METHODS
  We studied 165 patients with left ventricular ejection fraction of less than 40%, who were divided in 2 groups according to the diagnosis of coronary artery disease (group 1: 136 patients) or not (group 2: 29 patients). All underwent a rest gated SPECT MPI.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In 160 patients, the MPI was abnormal. Mean summed rest score was 17 ± 6 (group 1) versus 10 ± 6 (group 2), P < 0.0001. Mean volumes showed a marked ventricular dilation, slightly higher among nonischemic. The mean value of the phase-derived SD was 70 ± 19 (group 1) versus 59 ± 21 degrees (group 2), P = 0.016. The histogram bandwidth showed no significant differences. Forty-four (39%) of 114 patients showed some kind of event during the follow-up. The more frequent events were HF progression (13%) and acute coronary syndrome (11%). The highest odds ratios for prediction of events were 1.91 (phase SD), 1.66 (etiology), and 1.55 (summed rest score), although the association was not significant.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A rest gated SPECT is a valid approach to identify HF patients most likely to experience cardiac events.
authors.affiliation: From the Institute of Cardiology, La Habana, Cuba.
authors.forename: Amalia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Peix
authors.forename: Jorge
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Karell
authors.forename: Lydia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Rodríguez
authors.forename: Lázaro O
authors.initials: LO
authors.lastname: Cabrera
authors.forename: Kenia
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Padrón
authors.forename: Regla
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Carrillo
authors.forename: Erick
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mena
authors.forename: Yoel
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Fernández
mesh_terms: D055426:Cardiac-Gated Single-Photon Emission Computer-Assisted Tomography; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D055414:Myocardial Perfusion Imaging; D016276:Ventricular Function