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European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging

Published in:

01-12-2014 | Original Article

Quantitation of myocardial blood flow and myocardial flow reserve with ^99mTc-sestamibi dynamic SPECT/CT to enhance detection of coronary artery disease

Authors: Bailing Hsu, Fu-Chung Chen, Tao-Cheng Wu, Wen-Sheng Huang, Po-Nien Hou, Chien-Cheng Chen, Guang-Uei Hung

Published in: European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging | Issue 12/2014

Abstract

Purpose

Conventional dual-head single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT)/CT systems capable of fast dynamic SPECT (DySPECT) imaging have a potential for flow quantitation. This study introduced a new method to quantify myocardial blood flow (MBF) and myocardial flow reserve (MFR) with DySPECT scan and evaluated the diagnostic performance of detecting coronary artery disease (CAD) compared with perfusion using invasive coronary angiography (CAG) as the reference standard.

Methods

This study included 21 patients with suspected or known CAD who had received DySPECT, ECG-gated SPECT (GSPECT), and CAG (13 with ≥50 % stenosis in any vessel; non-CAD group: 8 with patent arteries or <50 % stenosis). DySPECT and GSPECT scans were performed on a widely used dual-head SPECT/CT scanner. The DySPECT imaging protocol utilized 12-min multiple back-and-forth gantry rotations during injections of ^99mTc-sestamibi (MIBI) tracer at rest or dipyridamole-stress stages. DySPECT images were reconstructed with full physical corrections and converted to the physical unit of becquerels per milliliter. Stress MBF (SMBF), rest MBF (RMBF), and MFR were quantified by a one-tissue compartment flow model using time-activity curves derived from DySPECT images. Perfusion images were processed for GSPECT scan and interpreted to obtain summed stress score (SSS) and summed difference score (SDS). Receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) analyses were conducted to evaluate the diagnostic performance of flow and perfusion.

Results

Using the criteria of ≥50 % stenosis as positive CAD, areas under the ROC curve (AUCs) of flow assessment were overall significantly greater than those of perfusion. For patient-based analysis, AUCs for MFR, SMBF, SSS, and SDS were 0.91 ± 0.07, 0.86 ± 0.09, 0.64 ± 0.12, and 0.59 ± 0.13. For vessel-based analysis, AUCs for MFR, SMBF, SSS, and SDS were 0.81 ± 0.05, 0.76 ± 0.06, 0.62 ± 0.07, and 0.56 ± 0.08, respectively.

Conclusion

The preliminary data suggest that MBF quantitation with a conventional SPECT/CT system and the flow quantitation method is a clinically effective approach to enhance CAD detection.

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Title: Quantitation of myocardial blood flow and myocardial flow reserve with 99mTc-sestamibi dynamic SPECT/CT to enhance detection of coronary artery disease
Authors: Bailing Hsu
Fu-Chung Chen
Tao-Cheng Wu
Wen-Sheng Huang
Po-Nien Hou
Chien-Cheng Chen
Guang-Uei Hung
Publication date: 01-12-2014
Publisher: Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Published in: European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging / Issue 12/2014
Print ISSN: 1619-7070
Electronic ISSN: 1619-7089
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00259-014-2881-9

At a glance: The STEP trials

Springer Medicine

Quantitation of myocardial blood flow and myocardial flow reserve with ^99mTc-sestamibi dynamic SPECT/CT to enhance detection of coronary artery disease

Abstract

Purpose

Methods

Results

Conclusion

At a glance: The STEP trials

Springer Medicine

Abstract

Purpose

Methods

Results

Conclusion

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