[Left ventricular thrombi detected by Ga-67-DFO-DAS-fibrinogen imaging and two-dimensional echocardiography]

The capability of diagnosing left ventricular thrombi was compared by scintigraphy using Ga-67-DFO-DAS-fibrinogen (Ga: gallium, DFO: deferoxamine, DAS: dialdehyde starch) and two-dimensional echocardiography. 1. Ga-67-DFO-DAS-fibrinogen scintigraphy and two-dimensional echocardiography were performed in 17 consecutive patients following myocardial infarction. In 11 of the 17 patients, left ventricular thrombi were visualized by Ga-67-DFO-DAS-fibrinogen scintigraphy, but only five of the 11 patients were found to have thrombi by two-dimensional echocardiography. 2. In eight patients with inferior or posterior myocardial infarction, no left ventricular thrombi were detected by two-dimensional echocardiography, while in six of the eight patients, ventricular thrombi were visualized by Ga-67-DFO-DAS-fibrinogen scintigraphy. 3. Among the patients receiving adequate anticoagulants from the episode, only three patients had thrombi. In contrast, the remaining eight patients with thrombi were either receiving no anticoagulants, or were receiving inadequate anticoagulant therapy. Ga-67-DFO-DAS-fibrinogen scintigraphy is a very simple and useful method for detecting thrombi in the left ventricle after myocardial infarction. It is more sensitive for detecting thrombi in the ventricle than was two-dimensional echocardiography. With this method, we can demonstrate the preventive effect of anticoagulants for left ventricular thrombus formation following myocardial infarction.