Evaluation of the post-coronary artery bypass patient by myocardial perfusion scintigraphy and computed tomography

The clinical utility of 201Tl scintigraphy and of computed tomography for the noninvasive assessment of graft patency and regional myocardial perfusion was evaluated in 24 patients who had undergone aortocoronary bypass surgery. Perfusion defects on 201Tl scintigraphy (reversible or new, fixed) correlated (100% sensitivity, 78% specificity) with occlusion or stenosis of a graft or significant new native vessel disease. Graft occlusion was accurately demonstrated by dynamic computed tomography (100% sensitivity, 96% specificity) but did not uniformly correlate with regional perfusion. Perfusion defects in the distribution of patent grafts resulted from progressive native vessel disease or graft stenosis without complete occlusion. The absence of exercise-induced perfusion defects in regions of occluded grafts was attributed to suboptimal exercise, collateralization, or noncritical native vessel stenosis. The two studies provide complementary anatomic and physiologic information in the evaluation of the postbypass patient.