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PubMed1990

Comparative myocardial extraction of two technetium-labeled BATO derivatives (SQ30217, SQ32014) and thallium.

The transcapillary exchange of a new class of 99mTc-labeled compounds (BATO) were compared to 201Tl in isolated, blood perfused rabbit hearts. During variable blood flow (0.15-2.44 ml/min/g), peak and net extraction (Emax and Enet, respectively), and capillary permeability-surface area product (PScap) were determined with paired indicator-dilution techniques. Serial bolus injections of 201Tl, [111In]albumin, and [99mTc]BATO; chloro[tris(cyclohexanedionedioxime)methyl boronic acid]Tc (SQ30217, n = 8) and a hydroxy-substituted derivative (SQ32014, n = 5) were given to a total of 13 hearts. Mean (+/- s.d.) SQ30217 Emax and Enet were 0.72 +/- 0.09 and 0.55 +/- 0.18, respectively, which were higher than thallium values of 0.57 +/- 0.10 and 0.46 +/- 0.17 (p less than 0.03). Mean SQ30217 PScap was 1.1 +/- 0.4 ml/min/g and was also higher than corresponding thallium determinations (0.7 +/- 0.3; p less than 0.001). SQ32014 Emax, Enet, and PScap were all significantly less than thallium values (p less than 0.001). Thallium and SQ30217 values for Emax and PScap were closely correlated with blood flow (r greater than or equal to 0.73), whereas those for SQ32014 were weakly correlated (r = 0.09). A small clinical pilot study (n = 3) was performed, which showed that SQ32014 was a poor myocardial perfusion agent in man. In summary, transcapillary exchange of SQ30217 is greater than thallium, which in turn, is greater than SQ32014. Therefore, SQ30217 appears to have good clinical potential, but SQ32014 does not.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

[Thallium-201 imaging of brain tumors using single photon emission CT].

Single photon emission CT using thallium-201 chloride, injected intravenously, was performed on 28 cases of cerebral lesions, among which were 16 gliomas, 2 meningiomas, 5 other brain tumors, 3 metastatic brain tumors and 2 cerebral radiation necroses. The degree of thallium-201 accumulation was evaluated by a new method called the thallium index (TLI); that is, TLI was expressed as (T-C)/C (T and C indicate relative counts in a pixel of a lesion and in non-affected normal brain tissue, respectively). Thallium-201 accumulation occurred in 86% (24) of the evaluated cases. In general, there was a tendency in high-grade or recurrent gliomas, as well as in metastatic brain tumors for the TLI values to be high. Moreover, high TLI values were noticed in cases of meningioma, radiation necrosis of cerebellum and in cases involving subacute stages of cerebral infarction. It is particularly noteworthy that the meningioma TLI values were about two times higher than those of the glioblastomas. The CT contrast-enhancement of lesions was clearly correlated with the TLI values, and the relationship between the TLI values and the number of vessels observed microscopically in the specimen was statistically significant. From the above results, it was concluded that thallium-201 accumulation in lesions might be strongly influenced by the development of vascularity in lesions, and/or the interference with the blood brain barrier due to the tumor itself. However, this malignancy diagnostic method is probably limited to the diagnosis of glioma.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

[Thallium-201 re-injection: a new method for the identification of viable myocardium in patients with fixed deficits of myocardial uptake].

Fixed defects on thallium-201 myocardial scintigraphy which have been traditionally interpreted as myocardial scar, may in fact be viable myocardium. This has been shown to be the case on 24 hour delayed imaging, positron emission tomography and repeat thallium imaging after coronary angioplasty or bypass surgery. We studied 25 suspected post myocardial infarction ischemia patients who had one or more fixed defects on exercise thallium scintigraphy. Immediately after the conventional delayed images, a second TI-201 injection of 1 mCi (re-injection) was given, followed by an additional set of images. After re-injection, 41% of fixed defects on the conventional delayed images showed increased thallium uptake as evidence of viable myocardium, and 46% of partially reversible defects on the conventional delayed images showed a concordant but increased uptake. Re-injection provided the only evidence for ischemia in 4 patients (16%) and documented ischemia in a new vascular territory in 3 patients (12%). Thus, we conclude that thallium re-injection is an improved technique for assessing myocardial viability in patients after myocardial infarction.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

[Effects of gallopamil on iodine-123-phenyl-pentadecanoic acid and thallium 201 uptake in patients with coronary heart disease].

Numerous experimental and clinical studies indicated that in the presence of coronary artery stenoses, myocardial thallium-201 and free fatty acid uptake in poststenotic regions is reduced during exercise. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of the calcium antagonist gallopamil on myocardial thallium-201 and free fatty acid uptake in patients suffering from coronary artery disease. In 6 patients with angiographically proven coronary artery disease--2 patients with 1-vessel, 2 patients with 2-vessel and 2 patients with 3-vessel disease--as well as good left ventricular performance and stable, exerciseinduced angina, quantitative double-tracer scintigraphy was performed. Patients were investigated after a placebo period of 1 week, after oral gallopamil medication for 4 weeks (3 X 50 mg gallopamil daily), and after a double-blind period of 1 week. During symptom-limited exercise, 2 mCi thallium-201 and 5 mCi iodine-123 phenyl-pentadecanoic acid (IPPA) were simultaneously injected intravenously. Immediately after exercise, as well as 1 and 4 hours later, planar images were obtained in ap, 30 degrees LAO and 60 degrees LAO projections. By means of a newly developed computer algorithm, global and regional myocardial tracer uptake as well as IPPA clearance were evaluated. - Gallopamil provoked a decrease of global myocardial thallium-201 and IPPA uptake due to a reduction of myocardial oxygen consumption. Regional thallium-201 and IPPA uptake as well as myocardial IPPA clearance in poststenotic areas tended to rise following gallopamil medication. Thus, in the presence of coronary artery disease, gallopamil provokes an improvement of regional perfusion (dilatation of larger coronary arterioles) as well as an enhanced free fatty acid utilization in reversibly ischemic myocardial regions.

Angina Pectoris↗
PubMed1989

[Serial assessment of myocardial thallium perfusion and fatty acid utilization in spontaneously hypertensive rats: assessment by autoradiography and pin-hole imaging].

To evaluate the advantage of free fatty acid imaging on the detection of hypertrophied myocardium, we compared sequentially myocardial thallium and BMIPP (15-(p-iodophenyl)-3-(R,S)-methyl pentadecanoic acid) distribution in spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR) using dual tracer autoradiography and in vivo pin-hole imaging. Autoradiography and pin-hole imaging showed uniform myocardial distribution of BMIPP and thallium within less than 27 weeks age SHR. In 40 weeks age SHR, thallium myocardial distribution showed uniform, however, BMIPP had focal decreases. Quantitative analysis of pin-hole images showed that myocardial BMIPP and thallium uptake ratio decreased according to the ages of SHR. Our data suggest that hypertension is associated with uniform myocardial perfusion and focal alternation in the substrate used for the performance of myocardial work. Based on the above autoradiographic and in vivo pin-hole imagings, I-123 BMIPP imaging may have a potential for early detection on hypertrophic myocardium compared to thallium perfusion in clinically hypertensive patients.

Animals↗
PubMed1986

[Evaluation of aortocoronary bypass using exercise myocardial thallium 201 scintigraphy].

The surveillance of aortocoronary bypass grafts is a difficult problem. Clinical examination and exercise testing are unable to give a complete evaluation of the operative results and cardiac catheterisation with radiological opacification of the grafts are not without risk and cannot be repeated periodically. Therefore, radioisotopic methods have been proposed as a means of assessing aortocoronary bypass grafts. The aim of this study was to evaluate postoperative myocardial perfusion by Thallium 201 scintigraphy. The authors compared pre and postoperative scintigraphies in 37 patients undergoing aortocoronary bypass surgery (36 men and 1 woman, average age: 53.9 years). Preoperative coronary angiography showed 9 cases of single vessel disease, 11 cases of double vessel diseases and 17 cases of triple vessel disease. Seventy one bypass grafts were performed (average 1.92 grafts/patient): 37 on the LAD, 15 on the circumflex, 10 on the diagonal and 9 on the right coronary. All patients were submitted to the same protocol before surgery and during the third postoperative month; Clinical examination, ECG, exercise stress testing and Thallium 201 myocardial scintigraphy. The results confirm the improvement in myocardial perfusion after coronary bypass surgery. The percentage of pathological scintigraphic segments fell from 42 per cent before surgery to 27 per cent after surgery (p less than 0.01). The total Thallium perfusion index improved significantly after surgery from 9.3 +/- 2 to 7.7 +/- 1.9 (p less than 0.01). Thallium 201 scintigraphy was superior to clinical examination and exercise testing in the assessment of graft patency, identifying 2 postoperative infarctions inapparent on clinical examination, excluding postoperative non-anginal chest pain and evaluating myocardial perfusion in patients who had sub maximal postoperative exercise stress tests. The relatively non traumatic character of Thallium 201 scintigraphy makes it the best non-invasive method of assessing aortocoronary bypass graft patency.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

[Thallium single photon emission computed tomography following thrombolysis: missing relation to left ventricular function].

To address the question of whether infarct size after thrombolysis can comparably be estimated by thallium SPECT scintigraphy and contrast cineangiography, 32 patients in whom regional wall motion abnormality had been assessed by means of the "centerline" method, 10 to 21 days after infarction, underwent biphasic thallium SPECT scintigraphy with dipyridamole. There were no statistically significant correlations between left ventricular ejection fraction and the degree of hypokinesia in the infarct area on one hand, and thallium defect size in the early and late scintigram on the other. Hypokinesia was inversely correlated (r = -0.51) with the time interval from symptom onset to reperfusion, but no such correlation was found between thallium defect size and this parameter. In patients in whom reperfusion was achieved within 3 h of symptom onset, hypokinesia was significantly less (-1.11 +/- 0.6 standard deviations (SD] than in patients in whom reperfusion was achieved later (-2.16 +/- 0.8 SD; p less than 0.01). Thallium defect size, however, was not different in these two groups of patients. It is concluded that there is no close correlation between regional wall motion abnormality assessed subacutely after thrombolysis and infarct size determined by SPECT in the chronic state. Thus, impairment of left ventricular function may not be assessed from scintigraphic findings.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Clinical features and therapy of acute thallium poisoning.

Severe acute thallium poisoning in a young man is described. He presented with transient loss of consciousness and paraesthesiae of finger tips and lips, with a blood thallium concentration of 5750 micrograms/l (levels above 200 micrograms/l are toxic). He rapidly lost limb sensation and power and later required temporary mechanical ventilation and nasogastric feeding. The neurological sequelae one year afterwards are a flaccid paraparesis, cerebellar ataxia and mental impairment. Immediate cardiovascular complications included hypertension, sinus tachycardia, ECG abnormalities and an episode of ventricular fibrillation. We were able to assess the relative merits of different methods advocated for enhancing thallium excretion. Oral Prussian blue, forced diuresis and haemodialysis were found to be the most effective: 2000 mg of thallium were eliminated over 20 days, 820 mg over 46 days and 225 mg over 25 days respectively by these methods. Haemofiltration was ineffective. Diethyldithiocarbamate, a chelating agent, brought about a rise in serum thallium concentration accompanied by clinical deterioration and its use should be abandoned.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1985

[Evaluation of myocardial viability in myocardial infarction by thallium-201 emission computed tomography].

Stress thallium-201 emission computed tomography (ECT) was performed for 24 patients with myocardial infarction for quantitative evaluation of regional thallium redistribution and washout. ECT was performed using a rotating gamma camera 10 minutes and 2.5 hours after thallium injection during maximal exercise. Three short-axis sections and one central long-axis section were selected for the circumferential profile curves. Redistribution (%) and washout (%) were calculated from the stress and redistribution profile curves in each section. These parameters were evaluated by comparison with regional wall motion on radiographic contrast ventriculography. Forty-eight of the 52 segments (92%) with normal thallium uptake showed normal wall motion. Among the segments with abnormal thallium uptake, normal or hypokinetic wall motion was observed in 12 of 13 segments (92%) with more than 20% redistribution and in 16 of 19 segments (84%) with 10-20% redistribution, while it was observed in only 15 of 36 segments (42%) without redistribution (p less than 0.001). Among 48 infarcted segments, 16 segments (33%) showed significant redistribution on ECT analysis. Normal or hypokinetic wall motion was observed in three of five segments (60%) with more than 20% redistribution, and in 10 of 11 segments (91%) with 10-20% redistribution, while it was seen in only eight of 30 segments (17%) without redistribution (p less than 0.005).

Heart↗
PubMed1979

[Diagnosis of coronary artery disease: value and limitations of non-invasive methods. (Ecg, thallium perfusion scintigraphy, radionuclide angiography) (author's transl)].

In order to compare the three non-invasive exercise tests Ecg, Thallium myocardial perfusion imaging and radionuclide angiography in the diagnosis of coronary artery disease, the results of these tests in a consecutive series of 30 patients and 14 controls were analyzed. In all 88 symptom-limited exercise tests a significantly higher double product (heart rate x systolic blood pressure, mm Hg/min) was reached on a treadmill test (for Ecg and Thallium scintigraphy) as compared to the supine bicycle ergometer exercise (for radionuclide angiography: 243.1 +/- 61.1 vs. 215.2 +/- 46.5 x 10(2) (p less than 0.01). Considering all 132 diagnostic tests the overall sensitivity for rest/exercise Ecg was 67%, for Thallium scans 77%, for both combined 83% and for the ejection fraction response to exercise determined by radionuclide angiography 97%. If only the exercise response was considered, the corresponding sensitivity values were 60% (Ecg), 47% (Thallium scans), 70% (both tests combined) and 97% (radionuclide angiography). The specificity for coronary artery disease was determined to be 79% for Ecg, 86% for Thallium scintigraphy, 64% for Ecg/Thallium scans and 71% for radionuclide angiography. The most common reason for a false-positive result in all tests was found to be the diagnosis of cardiomyopathy, whereas most false-negative results were seen in patients with single vessel right coronary artery disease. Based on these results, the clinical implications of the three non-invasive tests in the diagnosis of coronary artery disease are discussed.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Nature of the black zones in hair following ingestion of thallium].

A total of 510 hairs with Widy's zones from 6 cases of poisoning were microscopically studied, both with light from above and from below. In every instance when the light came from below the zones appeared lighter in colour when pressure was applied. This lighting-up in color was reversible. This effect is incompatible with the opinion, still prevalent today, that the zones may be explained by hyperpigmentation. Quite frequently the zones became lighter during a prolonged exposure to water while simultaneously gas bubbles developed. However, even after extensive exposure to thioglycolic acid the zones did not disappear entirely in all cases. We explain these phenomena with the total reflection of the light at numerous bordering surface of substances with differing indices of fraction. We measured the thallium concentration in the urine and in the hair during the time interval between two thallium poisonings with the result that in those parts of the hair which had grown during a period when no thallium level was measured in the urine we found discernibly to strongly increased thallium concentrations. The results of our study indicate that, considering the most recent knowledge, proof of multiple thallium poisoning ought not to be attempted by means of fractional chemical investigation of the hair alone.

Alopecia↗
PubMed1982

Experimental study of thallium 201 redistribution in transient myocardial ischemia.

The influence of differential washout on the redistribution phenomenon of thallium 201 chloride deposited in ischemic myocardium was investigated. Two groups of dogs had serial scintigraphic images and tissue counting performed. The first group had ischemia produced prior to the injection of the thallium and, following the control image after production of ischemia, the occlusion was released and serial images obtained over a three-hour period. The second group received thallium initially and after a control scintigraph was taken, ischemia was created and maintained for three hours via transthoracic ligature. Activity distribution was followed by serial images. Thallium content of ischemic areas was compared to the normal area by computer assisted data analysis. Tissues from the ischemic and normal areas from both groups were obtained after the serial images and counted. In the first group, prompt redistribution of activity into the ischemic areas was seen within 30 minutes of releasing the occlusion and was verified by tissue counting. Neither scintigraphic image changes nor tissue uptake differences were observed in the second group. The restoration of blood flow and consequently increased avidity for thallium probably accounted for the redistribution seen in the first group as there appeared to be no differential washout of activity in the second group from either the ischemic or normal areas to contribute to the redistribution phenomenon.

Animals↗
PubMed1980

Evaluation of myocardial perfusion by thallium-201 imaging at rest and during exercise. Comparison with ECG stress testing.

In order to assess the accuracy of thallium-201 cardiac imaging at rest or during exercise in detecting permanent or transient myocardial damage, we studied 49 patients with angiographically documented coronary disease (31 with previous myocardial infarction) and 29 patients with normal coronary arteries. The resting thallium scan was significantly more accurate in detecting previous myocardial infarction (31 patients) than the resting ECG (22 patients) (P < 0.01). The combination of thallium imaging and ECG stress testing revealed reversible myocardial ischemia in 41 of the 49 patients (84%), compared with 28 of 49 (57%) detected by ECG stress testing alone (P < 0.01). Thallium imaging was more accurate in ruling out coronary disease (26 of 29 patients, 90%) than ECG stress testing (19 of 29 patients, 65%) (P < 0.05). In patients with previous myocardial infarction, thallium imaging alone or in combination with ECG stress testing was not significantly more sensitive than ECG stress testing alone.

Coronary Circulation↗
PubMed1995

[Cerebral lesions in AIDS: what can be expected from scintigraphy? Cerebral tomographic scintigraphy using thallium-201: a contribution to the differential diagnosis of lymphomas and infectious lesions].

CT and MRI are not consistently able to differentiate central nervous system (CNS) lymphoma from focal cerebral infection such as toxoplasmosis in the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) involvement. In this study thallium 201 (and/or technetium-MIBI) SPECT was performed in 6 patients suffering from AIDS and CNS lesions. An index based on the ratio of thallium uptake in the lesion vs the contralateral scalp was calculated. In 4 out of 5 patients with lymphoma (3 confirmed by biopsy, 2 highly suspected on CT and resistance to antitoxoplasmosis treatment) focal lesions showed high uptake of thallium. On the other hand one markedly necrotic lymphoma and all infectious lesions did not take up thallium. This suggests a role for thallium 201 brain SPECT in the workup of focal CNS lesions in AIDS.

AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections↗
PubMed1995

Prognostic significance of increased thallium-201 lung uptake during dipyridamole myocardial scintigraphy: comparison with exercise scintigraphy.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the incidence of cardiac events among patients with increased lung uptake of thallium after dipyridamole stress, matched subjects without such uptake and matched subjects with increased lung uptake during exercise stress. DESIGN: Retrospective case control study based on quantitative and semiquantitative visual consensus analysis of thallium scintigraphy. SETTING: Nuclear cardiology laboratory of a university teaching hospital. PATIENTS: Thirty-six patients with increased lung activity after dipyridamole stress and two groups of matched control subjects identified from 3150 consecutive thallium single photon emission computed tomography studies. INTERVENTIONS: Telephone follow-up and chart reviews to determine the incidence of cardiac events. MAIN RESULTS: Cardiac events were significantly less frequent in the study group with increased lung uptake after dipyridamole stress (two of 36,5%) than in the control group with increased thallium lung uptake at exercise scintigraphy (nine of 36,25%; P = 0.046). CONCLUSIONS: Increased lung uptake of thallium has less ominous short term prognostic significance when observed in association with dipyridamole stress rather than with exercise.

Aged↗
PubMed1995

An appraisal of dipyridamole thallium imaging-detected ischemia in Chinese following acute myocardial infarction.

BACKGROUND: The detection of objective myocardial ischemia is an important work-up of risk stratification for survivors of acute myocardial infarction (MI). Intravenous dipyridamole thallium scintigraphy was used to identify the prevalence and prognostic value of silent myocardial ischemia (SI) at the early stage in patients after MI. METHODS: Ninety patients (male/female = 87/3; aged from 36 to 70 years) who succumbed to an episode of MI was recruited in this prospective study. Thallium imaging with reversible or combined defect was defined as presence of SI (Group I), while those with fixed defects or normal images were defined as absence of SI (Group II). Correlation between the patterns of thallium images for postinfarct ischemia and the angiographic lesions was investigated. Also, versatile clinical variables and indexes of adverse cardiac events: unstable angina, CHF, reinfarction, ventricular tachyarrhythmia and sudden death, were evaluated for their influence on patients' prognosis. The average follow-up was 11.6 months. RESULTS: There were 61 patients in the Group I as compared with 29 patients in the Group II. The difference of Killip functional classification between Group I and Group II patients was not significant (1.33 +/- 0.72 versus 1.07 +/- 0.59). Adverse cardiac event occurred in 30% (27/90) of the patients during follow-up. Cardiac death occurred in 6 cases (7%) and were distributed evenly (3 versus 3) in both groups. Group I patients showed a higher number of nonfatal reinfarctions (8 versus 5) and had more cases of percutaneous coronary angioplasty (11 versus 8) than Group II patients. Only two cases in Group I underwent bypass graft surgery. There was no statistic difference among four patterns of thallium image in the cumulative event-free survival curve. Prior history of CHF, prior MI and higher score index of proximal arterial stenosis were the three significant prognostic predictors for late cardiac events. CONCLUSIONS: Dipyridamole thallium imaging-detected SI was frequently seen in the Chinese patients following AMI. It was less valuable than prior histories of CHF, prior MI and higher index of proximal arterial stenosis scores in predicting the short-term unfavorable cardiac events in these patients. A large scale analysis and longer follow-up might be required to more accurately determine the role of this exam for the Chinese victims of myocardial infarction.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Clinical significance of reverse redistribution on 24-hour delayed imaging of exercise thallium-201 myocardial SPECT: comparison with myocardial fluorine-18-FDG-PET imaging and left ventricular wall motion.

UNLABELLED: Clinical significance of reverse redistribution on 24-hr delayed images after exercise 201Tl myocardial SPECT was investigated in 16 patients with recent myocardial infarction. METHODS: Findings of 24-hr delayed 201Tl SPECT imaging were compared with those of glucose-loaded 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) imaging by myocardial PET and with left ventricular wall motion obtained by bi-plane contrast left ventriculography. In each patient, transaxial thallium images and corresponding 18F-FDG images were divided into five ROIs. RESULTS: Reverse redistribution was found in 15 of 80 regions. The mean FDG activity score in regions with reverse redistribution was significantly lower than that in regions having normal or slightly decreased thallium activity on 24-hr delayed imaging; it was significantly higher than that in regions having severely decreased or no thallium activity on 24-hr delayed imaging. The mean wall motion score in regions with reverse redistribution was significantly lower than in regions with normal or slightly decreased thallium activity, however, it was significantly higher than that in regions with moderately or more decreased thallium activity. CONCLUSION: These findings demonstrate that in regions showing reverse redistribution on 24-hr delayed 201Tl imaging, myocardial exogenous glucose utilization and left ventricular wall motion had deteriorated, but were not on a level with the scar.

Aged↗
PubMed1994

[Exercise 201-thallium myocardial scintigraphy in left bundle branch block].

BACKGROUND: Reduced septal uptake of 201-Thallium in patients with left bundle branch block is reported in literature as having a variable frequency (between 14% and 100%) and in such patients the value of exercise Thallium-scintigraphy for the diagnosis of the left anterior descending coronary artery disease is limited by the great number of false-positive tests. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence and the diagnostic sensitivity of this septal defect in a group of patients with left bundle branch block. METHODS: We evaluated the exercise 201-Thallium myocardial scintigraphy of 54 patients with a stable left bundle branch block. The clinical and/or echocardiographic evaluation excluded the presence of primitive, valvular and hypertensive cardiomyopathies and of previous myocardial infarction. The planar myocardial scintigraphic imaging was acquired according to the "stress-redistribution" protocol. Only 37 patients underwent an echocardiographic examination and following clinical and/or scintigraphic indications; 27 patients underwent a coronary angiography for the evaluation of coronary stenosis. RESULTS: The 201-Thallium imaging showed septal defects in 36 patients (67%) and the presence of defects in other segments in 14 patients. The echocardiographic evaluation showed an interventricular septal defect contraction abnormality in 19 cases in the 27 patients with septal defect and in 4 cases in the 10 patients with negative scintigraphy (Fisher NS). Twenty-seven patients (23 with- and 4 without septal defect) underwent a coronary angiography, which showed in 6 cases critical stenosis of the left descending anterior artery, in 5 of the right coronary, in 3 of the Circumflex artery and in 16 normal coronary angiograms. The presence of the septal uptake defect showed a diagnostic sensitivity and specificity for the detection of the left anterior descending coronary artery disease of respectively 67% and 52% (whereas using a semi-quantitative analysis of 100% and 19%). The scintigraphy showed a sensitivity and specificity for the detection of the right coronary artery disease of respectively 80% and 100% and for the circumflex coronary artery stenosis of 0% and 100%. CONCLUSIONS: We found a high prevalence of septal perfusion defects (67%) and this results shows a high sensitivity but a low specificity for the diagnosis of the left anterior descending coronary disease; the semi-quantitative analysis improves the sensitivity, but leads to a further reduction of the specificity. The female patients had a prevalence (70%) similar to the general population but demonstrated a higher percentage of false-positive. The 201-Thallium scintigraphy has a high diagnostic accuracy for the detection of the right coronary artery stenosis, while it is less accurate regarding the circumflex artery disease.

Aged↗