Thallium-201 myocardial redistribution imaging 24 hours following stress exercise

Twenty-four-hour 201-thallium chloride redistribution images in conjunction with immediate postexercise images were evaluated to determine their value in distinguishing coronary artery ischemia from remote infarction. Cardiac angiography, including selective right and left coronary angiography and left ventriculography, was also performed. For 43 patients with a prevalence of coronary artery disease of 0.58, 24-hour redistribution images indicated the presence of remote infraction with a predictive value of 0.75 and the absence of infarction with a predictive value of 0.92. Twenty-four-hour redistribution images are considered to be clinically efficacious, convenient for scheduling purposes, and useful as an alternative to other redistribution intervals.