Myocardial imaging with 134mCesium. Comparison of scintigraphic and cineradiographic results

Thirty-four patients had noninvasive myocardial perfusion imaging at rest using 134mCs. The results were compared with the results of coronary cineangiography and left ventriculography. All 21 patients who had abnormal left ventriculograms had corresponding myocardial imaging defects. This group included 14 patients with electrocardiographic evidence of either an old inferior, anteroseptal, anterior, or anterolateral myocardial infarction. Thirteen patients had normal left ventriculograms: this group included 6 patients with 75% or greater obstruction of one or more coronary arteries and 7 patients with normal or insignificantly diseased vessels. Only 2 of these patients had abnormal myocardial images: both had severe obstruction of the proximal left anterior descending artery without collateral filling of this vessel. In the resting patient who has 134mCs myocardial imaging, we concluded that we primarily are visualizing varying degrees of scarred myocardium rather than reversibly ischemic myocardium.