title: Cardiac sympathetic activity in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and Tako-tsubo cardiomyopathy.
abstract: 123I-meta-iodobenzylguanidine (123I-mIBG) scintigraphy has been established as an important technique to evaluate cardiac sympathetic function and it has been shown to be of clinical value, especially for the assessment of prognosis, in many cardiac diseases. The majority of123I-mIBG scintigraphy studies have focused on patients with cardiac dysfunction due to hypertension, ischemic heart disease, or valvular disease. However less is known about the role of123I-mIBG scintigraphy in primary cardiomyopathies. This overview shows the clinical value of123I-mIBG scintigraphy in two types of primary cardiomyopathy: The genetic hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) and the acquired Tako-tsubo cardiomyopathy (TCM). Cardiac sympathetic activity is increased in HCM and correlates to the septal wall thickness and consequently to the LVOT obstruction. Moreover, increased cardiac sympathetic activity correlates with impaired diastolic and systolic LV function. In addition,123I-mIBG scintigraphy may be useful for determining the risk of developing congestive heart failure and ventricular tachycardia in these patients. In TCM123I-mIBG scintigraphy can be used to assess cardiac sympathetic hyperactivity. In addition,123I-mIBG scintigraphy may identify those patients who are prone to TCM recurrence and may help to identify responders to individual (pharmacological) therapy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, P.O. Box 22700, 1100 DE Amsterdam, The Netherlands ; Department of Cardiology, Medical Center Alkmaar, Alkmaar, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Derk O
authors.initials: DO
authors.lastname: Verschure
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, P.O. Box 22700, 1100 DE Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Berthe L F
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: van Eck-Smit
authors.affiliation: Cardiology Centers of the Netherlands, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: G Aernout
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Somsen
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, P.O. Box 22700, 1100 DE Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Hein J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Verberne
keywords: 123I-mIBG scintigraphy; Cardiac sympathetic activity; Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy; Tako-tsubo cardiomyopathy