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Measuring Cardiac Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) Activity in Children
09:45

Measuring Cardiac Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) Activity in Children

Published on: April 29, 2013

Age-related decrease in cardiopulmonary adrenergic neuronal function in children as assessed by I-123

Wengen Chen1, Elias H Botvinick, Abass Alavi

  • 1Division of Nuclear Medicine, Department of Radiology, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania,, Philadelphia, PA, USA.

Journal of Nuclear Cardiology : Official Publication of the American Society of Nuclear Cardiology
|February 5, 2008
PubMed

Insights

Cardiac and pulmonary metaiodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) uptake decreases with age in children. This study found a significant inverse correlation between MIBG uptake ratios and age in pediatric patients.

Area of Science:

  • Nuclear medicine
  • Pediatric imaging
  • Adrenergic system evaluation

Background:

  • Radioiodinated metaiodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) imaging assesses adrenergic nerve activity.
  • Cardiac and pulmonary MIBG uptake predicts cardiopulmonary disease prognosis.
  • Previous studies indicate reduced cardiac MIBG uptake in the elderly, but pediatric data is limited.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate age-related changes in cardiac and pulmonary MIBG uptake in children and adolescents.
  • To establish normative data for MIBG uptake in the developing pediatric heart and lungs.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective analysis of 44 pediatric MIBG scans (age 2 months to 19 years) with normal uptake.
  • Patients categorized into four age groups.
  • Cardiac (heart-to-mediastinum [H/M] ratio) and pulmonary (lung-to-mediastinum [L/M] ratio) MIBG uptake determined and compared across groups.

Main Results:

  • Both H/M and L/M ratios demonstrated a decrease with increasing age.
  • Significant inverse correlations were observed between H/M ratio and age (r = 0.711, P < .001).
  • Significant inverse correlations were observed between L/M ratio and age (r = 0.718, P < .001).

Conclusions:

  • Pediatric cardiac and pulmonary MIBG uptake shows an inverse relationship with age.
  • Findings provide normative data for age-related MIBG uptake in children.
Abstract

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