title: Myocardial perfusion SPECT 2015 in Germany. Results of the 7thsurvey.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The working group Cardiovascular Nuclear Medicine of the German Society of Nuclear Medicine presents the results of the 7th survey of myocardial perfusion SPECT (MPS) of the reporting year 2015.
  
  
  METHODS
  268 questionnaires (173 practices [PR], 67 hospitals [HO], 28 university hospitals [UH]) were evaluated. Results of the last survey from 2012 are set in squared brackets.
  
  
  RESULTS
  MPS of 121 939 [105 941] patients were reported. 98 % [95 %] of all MPS were performed with Tc-99m radiopharmaceuticals and 2 % [5 %] with Tl-201. 78 % [79 %] of all patients were studied in PR, 14 % [15 %] in HO, and 8 % [6 %] in UH. A pharmacological stress test was performed in 43 % [39 %] (22 % [24 %] adenosine, 20 % [9 %] regadenoson, 1 % [6 %] dipyridamole or dobutamine). Attenuation correction was applied in 25 % [2009: 10 %] of MPS. Gated SPECT was performed in 78 % [70 %] of all rest MPS, in 80 % [73 %] of all stress and in 76 % [67 %] of all stress and rest MPS. 53 % [33 %] of all nuclear medicine departments performed MPS scoring by default, whereas 24 % [41 %] did not apply any quantification. 31 % [26 %] of all departments noticed an increase in their counted MPS and 29 % [29 %] no changes. Data from 89 departments which participated in all surveys showed an increase in MPS count of 11.1 % (PR: 12.2 %, HO: 4.8 %, UH: 18.4 %). 70 % [60 %] of the MPS were requested by ambulatory care cardiologists.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The 2015 MPS survey reveals a high-grade adherence of routine MPS practice to current guidelines. The positive trend in MPS performance and number of MPS already observed in 2012 continues. Educational training remains necessary in the field of SPECT scoring.
authors.affiliation: Prof. Dr. Oliver Lindner, Institut für Radiologie, Nuklearmedizin und Molekulare Bildgebung, Herz- und Diabeteszentrum NRW, Georgstr. 11, D-32545 Bad Oeynhausen, Tel.: ++49-5731-97-1309, Fax.: ++49-5731-97-2190, E-Mail: olindner@hdz-nrw.de.
authors.forename: Oliver
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Lindner
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Burchert
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Schäfer
authors.forename: Marcus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hacker
mesh_terms: D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005858:Germany / Q000453:epidemiology; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006801:Humans; D055414:Myocardial Perfusion Imaging / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015899:Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014600:Utilization Review
keywords: Myocardial perfusion scintigraphy; numerical data; utilisation review; utilisation statistics