The relationship between quantitative perfusion and functional results and acquisition time with reduced administered...

The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between administered 99mTc tetrofosmin activity in myocardial gated-SPECT and findings of myocardial perfusion and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) as markers of diagnostic outcome.

Fifty-two patients with heterogeneous cardiac diseases and a clinical referral for myocardial perfusion imaging were prospectively studied. A separate-day acquisition protocol was adopted with a low fixed activity of 370 MBq, which corresponds to an average reduction of 31% with respect to the median value of 533 MBq usually administered in our laboratory. A standard acquisition with a time/frame of 25 seconds was performed (ST). Immediately after the conclusion of the first acquisition, a second acquisition was performed with a high time/frame of 33 seconds (HT), which corresponds to an increase of 31% with respect to standard time/frame adopted in our laboratory. The order of ST and HT acquisitions was randomized in individual patients. The summed stress scores (SSS), the summed rest scores (SRS), the LVEF, and the end-diastolic volume (EDV) were automatically calculated.

The image quality score was significantly higher in HT than in ST. No significant differences were found in SSS, SRS, LVEF, and EDV between HT and ST SPECT. The agreement between HT and ST was 84% (kw=0.88) in the correct classification of stress images. The agreement between HT and ST was 84% (k=0.70) in the detection of ischemia and scar. The limits of agreement between the HT and the ST methods were roughly within ±3 points for SSS and SRS, ±13% for poststress LVEF, and ±18 mL for poststress EDV.

Using about half of the activity recommended by the current diagnostic reference levels for separate-day myocardial perfusion imaging, the present study demonstrates that images may be obtained using ST protocol with quantitative results comparable with those from studies performed using the HT protocol, which is equivalent to an administered activity of 530 MBq. The former protocol would allow for a significant reduction of the dose to the patients as well as to the operators. Further studies are needed to confirm that this dose-sparing approach does not hamper sensitivity and specificity for coronary stenoses.