Determination of myocardial FFA elimination rates by functional images of uncorrected half-time values

This paper presents an alternative method of demarcating regions of interest over the myocardium after administration of 123I-heptadecanoic acid to patients with coronary artery disease. In a matrix of 32 X 32 pixels the elimination rates of the radioactivity, which are not corrected for background activity, are visualized per pixel in a functional image. The functional image showed areas in the myocardium with high values of uncorrected elimination rates. These areas corresponded with the tracer defects on the scintigram. Corrected elimination rates obtained from regions of interest of functional images were comparable with those of scintigrams. Thus based on functional images of uncorrected elimination rates a reliable, objective determination of regions of interest over normal and abnormal myocardium can be made.