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Updated: May 24, 2026
High-Resolution Cardiac Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography for Small Animals
Published on: December 16, 2022
[Gated single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and radionuclide ventriculography for evaluate the left
Hugo Zetina Tun1, Margarita Hernández Flores, Emidio García Nicasio
1Departamento de Cirugía Cardiotorácica, Unidad Médica de Alta Especialidad, Centro Médico Nacional, Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, México. hzetina@gmail.com
Insights
Radionuclide ventriculography and gated SPECT are useful for assessing heart transplant recipients. Gated SPECT provides functional and prognostic information, aiding in patient evaluation.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Nuclear Medicine
- Transplant Surgery
Background:
- Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) is a key indicator of cardiac function.
- Accurate LVEF assessment is crucial for monitoring heart transplant recipients.
- Echocardiography is the current gold standard for LVEF measurement.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the accuracy of radionuclide ventriculography and gated single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) in determining LVEF in heart transplant recipients.
- To evaluate these methods against echocardiography as the gold standard.
Main Methods:
- A prospective study involving 14 orthotopic heart transplant recipients.
- Echocardiography, radionuclide ventriculography, and gated SPECT were performed on each patient.
- A normal LVEF was defined as 50% for all methods.
Main Results:
- Mean LVEF values were: echocardiography 69.9%, gated SPECT 60%, and radionuclide ventriculography 61.1%.
- Gated SPECT showed 75% sensitivity, while radionuclide ventriculography demonstrated 100% sensitivity.
- Specificity could not be determined due to the small sample size and lack of false negatives.
Conclusions:
- Gated SPECT is a valuable tool for evaluating heart transplant patients, offering functional and prognostic insights.
- The technique provides additional myocardial perfusion imaging.
- Despite limitations, gated SPECT aids in the comprehensive assessment of transplant recipients.
Objective:
To evaluate which is the best method to determine the left ventricular ejection fraction in heart transplant recipients: radionuclide ventriculography or gated SPECT, compared with echocardiography as the gold standard method.
Material And Methods:
A prospective, transversal, observational, and open study including all orthotopic heart transplant recipients between January 1, 1993 and December 31, 2010 was realized after signed Informed Consent, and we performed echocardiography, radionuclide ventriculography and gated SPECT in 14 patients. Normal value for left ventricle ejection fraction was considered 50% in all the methods.
Results:
Fourteen heart transplant recipients were considered for the study. Two patients were excluded because of arrhythmic heartbeat at the time of gated SPECT acquisition and two by being newly transplanted. The mean left ventricle ejection fraction was: echocardiography: 69.9%;gated SPECT: 60%; radionuclide ventriculography: 61.1%. The sensitivity of gated SPECT was 75% and 100% for radionuclide ventriculography. Specificity could not be obtained because our population was very small and there were no false negatives. (All the echocardiography results were over 50%).
Conclusion:
It was concluded that despite our small population, the gated SPECT was a useful tool in the evaluation of heart transplant patients due to its functional and prognostic information, besides offering myocardial perfusion imaging.
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