Do we really need to look at volumetric measurements with ^99mTc single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) myocardial perfusion imaging?

Excerpt

A little less than a century ago, in their classical work, Tennant and Wiggers1 observed in open-chest dogs that within 60 seconds of coronary occlusion myocardial contractions in the ischemic zone change from active shortening to passive systolic lengthening. After restoration of myocardial blood flow, contractile dysfunction was reversed. In later animal work, Heyndrickx and colleagues2 demonstrated that while regional electrocardiograms normalize within seconds, contractile dysfunction lasts for up to 2 hours after a 5-minute occlusion and for up to 24 hours after a 15-minute occlusion. The functional effects in the ischemic myocardium were shown to persist longer than one could have been predicted by the rapid normalization of coronary flow. The concept of myocardial stunning was born—and defined as a state of prolonged contractile dysfunction of post-ischemic myocardium in which myocardial function is gradually restored over time. …