[Emission tomography in the diagnosis of ischemic heart disease]

Myocardial perfusion scintigraphy was made at rest and during bicycle ergometer exercise to diagnose coronary heart disease (CHD), to define the site and extent of left ventricular aneurysms, and to determine the compensatory potentialities of coronary circulation, to evaluate the efficiency of drug therapy. This was performed on a two-detector emission tomograph by using 99mTc. The data obtained were processed by two protocols: 1) tomographic heart specimens and 2) large protruding eye. In patients with a questionable diagnosis, the method evidenced stenotic coronary arteries in 60% of cases and exclude coronary abnormality. In CHD patients, exercise testing could reveal the extent of resting perfusion defects and new defects, i.e. define the reserve potentialities of coronary circulation, which is of great prognostic value. The site and extent of lesions were specified in extensive myocardial cicatricial lesions and left ventricular aneurysms.