Clinical implications of increased lung uptake of thallium-201 during exercise scintigraphy 2 weeks after myocardial infarction

To determine the prevalence and clinical significance of increased lung thallium-201 uptake during submaximal exercise myocardial scintigraphy performed 2 weeks after acute myocardial infarction, 61 patients underwent submaximal exercise testing (target heart rate, 120 beats/min), multigated blood pool imaging at rest and coronary angiography before hospital discharge. Thallium lung uptake on the initial anterior projection image was graded qualitatively by comparing the intensity of thallium-201 activity in the lungs with that in the mediastinum. In 39 patients (64 percent), it was normal (equal to mediastinal activity) and in 22 (36 percent), it was increased (greater than mediastinal activity). Compared with patients with normal lung uptake, those with increased uptake had a greater prevalence of prior infarction (13 versus 36 percent, probability [p] less than 0.05), less global cardiac reserve as assessed by the four level New York Heart Association classification (p less than 0.05), more advanced Killip class in the coronary care unit (p less than 0.05), a higher Norris coronary prognostic index (2.6 +/- 1.9 versus 4.6 +/- 2.3 [mean +/- standard deviation], p less than 0.01), failure to achieve the target heart rate because of dyspnea, fatigue or angina (36 versus 86 percent, p less than 0.01), a greater prevalence of exercise-induced S-T segment depression (18 versus 45 percent, p less than 0.05), a greater number of anterior thallium-201 myocardial defects (p less than 0.05); a lower radionuclide ejection fraction at rest (50.4 +/- 6.1 versus 39.6 +/- 9.3 percent, p less than 0.01) and a greater number of asynergic left ventricular segments (p less than 0.05). Thus, the occurrence of increased lung thallium-201 uptake during submaximal exercise scintigraphy in the early postinfarction period is frequent and appears to be a marker of severe and functionally more important coronary artery disease associated with left ventricular dysfunction.