title: Impact of an exercise training program on cardiac neuronal function in heart failure patients on optimal medical therapy : A randomized Iodine-123 metaiodobenzylguanidine scintigraphy study.
abstract: The syndrome of heart failure (HF) is characterized by left ventricular dysfunction and a compensatory chronic over activation of the sympathetic nervous system. We wanted to investigate if the beneficial effects of exercise training (ET) in HF patients on optimal medical therapy (OMT) are associated with alterations in cardiac sympathetic activity.
  
  
  
  Cardiac sympathetic activity was evaluated at baseline and after 12 weeks using metaiodobenzylguanidine scintigraphy in 23 patients with stable HF participating in the SmartEx trial. Patients with HF in New York Heart Association class II or III and left ventricular ejection fraction <35 % were randomized to three different ET groups.
  
  
  
  We found no statistically significant changes in cardiac sympathetic activity after 12 weeks of ET. Heart to mediastinum (H/M) ratio at 15 minutes (0.00174 ± 0.0841, P = 0.922), H/M ratio at 4 hours (-0.00565 ± 0.1163, P = 0.818) and washout ratio (WR) (-1.2666 ± 16.5412, P = 0.717). A further group-wise analysis of the three ET groups did not show any difference between the groups.
  
  
  
  A 12-week ET program did not alter the abnormal cardiac sympathetic activity in stable HF patients on modern OMT.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Stavanger University Hospital, Armauer Hansens vei 20, PO Box 8100, 4068, Stavanger, Norway. vtor@sus.no.|Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway. vtor@sus.no.
authors.forename: Torstein
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Valborgland
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Stavanger University Hospital, Armauer Hansens vei 20, PO Box 8100, 4068, Stavanger, Norway.|Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.
authors.forename: Kjetil
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Isaksen
authors.affiliation: Sørlandet Hospital HF, Kristiansand, Norway.
authors.forename: Peter Scott
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Munk
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Stavanger University Hospital, Stavanger, Norway.
authors.forename: Zbigniew Piotr
authors.initials: ZP
authors.lastname: Grabowski
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Stavanger University Hospital, Armauer Hansens vei 20, PO Box 8100, 4068, Stavanger, Norway.|Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.
authors.forename: Alf Inge
authors.initials: AI
authors.lastname: Larsen
mesh_terms: D019797:3-Iodobenzylguanidine; D000368:Aged; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D006321:Heart / Q000294:innervation*; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D013564:Sympathetic Nervous System / Q000503:physiopathology*
chemical_list: D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D019797:3-Iodobenzylguanidine
keywords: Exercise; heart failure; nervous system; norepinephrine; nuclear medicine; sympathetic