Incidence and consequences of breast artifacts in radionuclide cardiac studies

A retrospective evaluation was done on 426 radionuclide cardiac studies performed on female patients at our institution from January through September, 1980. These procedures included pyrophosphate (PYP) myocardial scans, resting and exercise Tl-201 studies, and gated equilibrium studies. The purpose of this evaluation was to document the incidence and possible consequences of breast artifacts in various cardiac procedures. We found the incidence to range from 30 to 50% of the studies performed, and both the incidence and type of artifact encountered varied with the type of procedure performed. Furthermore, 13 to 35% of patients had artifacts directly overlying the myocardium. The possible consequences, including potential misdiagnosis, interference with computer derived quantitative parameters, and the technical maneuvers necessary to avoid or alleviate these problems are discussed.