Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 1, 2025
High-Resolution Cardiac Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography for Small Animals
Published on: December 16, 2022
Gating failure can result in underestimation of cardiac function in myocardial perfusion scintigraphy
Alberto Villagran Asiares1, Igor Yakushev2, Stephan G Nekolla2,3
1Nuklearmedizinische Klinik und Poliklinik Klinikum rechts der Isar der Technischen Universität München, Munich, Germany. alberto.villagran@tum.de.
Insights
Pacemaker patients with atrioventricular block may experience underestimation of cardiac function due to gating failure in myocardial perfusion scintigraphy. Quality control steps are proposed to address these gating errors.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Nuclear Medicine
Background:
- Atrioventricular (AV) block is a condition affecting cardiac electrical conduction.
- Pacemakers are often implanted to manage symptomatic AV block.
- Myocardial perfusion scintigraphy (MPS) is a key imaging modality for assessing cardiac function.
Observation:
- A case involving a patient with a pacemaker for Mobitz type II atrioventricular block is presented.
- The patient underwent myocardial perfusion scintigraphy for cardiac function assessment.
- A gating failure occurred during the scintigraphy procedure.
Findings:
- The gating failure led to a significant underestimation of the patient's cardiac function.
- This highlights a potential pitfall in interpreting MPS in pacemaker-dependent patients.
- Specific quality control measures for gating errors in MPS are crucial.
Implications:
- Accurate assessment of cardiac function in pacemaker patients is vital for appropriate management.
- Implementing proposed quality control steps can improve the reliability of MPS.
- This case underscores the need for vigilance regarding artifact in nuclear cardiology.
Abstract:
Here, we present a case with a pacemaker due to an atrioventricular (AV) block 2 Mobitz type, in whom a gating failure resulted in a relevant underestimation of cardiac function in myocardial perfusion scintigraphy. A set of quality control steps for gating errors is proposed.
