Quantitative single photon emission computed thallium-201 tomography for detection and localization of coronary artery disease: optimization and prospective validation of a new technique

Department of Medicine, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, California.

One hundred eight-three men underwent stress-redistribution thallium-201 myocardial perfusion tomography. After evaluation of various preprocessing filters in a phantom study, the Butterworth filter with a frequency cutoff of 0.2 cycles/pixel, order 5 (which provided optimal filter power) was used in the back projection algorithm of the patient studies. All short-axis and apical portions of vertical long-axis images were quantified by dividing each myocardial slice into 60 equal sectors and displaying the maximal count per sector as a linear profile. In a pilot group consisting of 20 normal men (less than 5% likelihood of coronary artery disease) and 25 men with coronary artery disease (greater than or equal to 50% coronary stenosis by angiography), profiles representing the lowest observed value below the mean normal profiles provided the best threshold for defining normal limits. Abnormal portions of the patient profiles were plotted on a two-dimensional polar map. The polar map was divided into 102 sectors, and sectors with a probability of greater than or equal to 80% for disease of each one of the three major coronary arteries were clustered to represent specific coronary artery territories. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis for defect size showed that the optimal threshold for defining a definite perfusion defect was 12% for the left anterior descending and left circumflex and 8% for the right coronary artery territories. These criteria were prospectively applied to an additional 92 patients with angiographic coronary artery disease, 18 patients with normal coronary arteriograms and 28 patients with less than 5% likelihood of coronary disease. Sensitivity, specificity (in patients with normal coronary arteriograms) and normalcy rate (in patients with less than 5% likelihood of coronary artery disease) for overall detection of coronary disease were 96%, 56% and 86%, respectively. Sensitivity and specificity for identification of individual diseased vessels were, respectively, 78% and 85% for the left anterior descending, 79% and 60% for the left circumflex and 81% and 71% for the right coronary artery. These results were not significantly different from those of the pilot group. An optimized quantitative method for interpretation of stress thallium-201 myocardial perfusion tomography has been developed. Prospective application of this method indicates that the technique is accurate for the overall detection of coronary artery disease and identification of disease in individual arteries.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				G. S. Lin, H. H. Hines, G. Grant, K. Taylor, and C. Ryals Automated Quantification of Myocardial Ischemia and Wall Motion Defects by Use of Cardiac SPECT Polar Mapping and 4-Dimensional Surface Rendering. J. Nucl. Med. Technol., March 1, 2006; 34(1): 3 - 17. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				I. Klem, W. G. Rehwald, J. F. Heitner, A. Wagner, T. Albert, M. A. Parker, E.-L. Chen, R. J. Kim, and R. M. Judd Noninvasive Assessment of Blood Flow Based on Magnetic Resonance Global Coherent Free Precession Circulation, March 1, 2005; 111(8): 1033 - 1039. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				C Y Loong and C Anagnostopoulos Diagnosis of coronary artery disease by radionuclide myocardial perfusion imaging Heart, August 1, 2004; 90(suppl_5): v2 - v9. [Full Text] [PDF]

				F. Cachin, J. Lipiecki, D. Mestas, A. Amonchot, B. Geissler, C. Thouly, J. Ponsonnaille, and J. Maublant Preliminary Evaluation of a Fuzzy Logic-Based Automatic Quantitative Analysis in Myocardial SPECT J. Nucl. Med., October 1, 2003; 44(10): 1625 - 1632. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				P. G. Danias and J. A. Parker Novel Internet-based Tool for Correcting Apparent Sensitivity and Specificity of Diagnostic Tests to Adjust for Referral (Verification) Bias RadioGraphics, March 1, 2002; 22(2): e4 - e4. [Abstract] [Full Text]

				T. Sharir, D. S. Berman, P. B. Waechter, J. Areeda, P. B. Kavanagh, J. Gerlach, X. Kang, and G. Germano Quantitative Analysis of Regional Motion and Thickening by Gated Myocardial Perfusion SPECT: Normal Heterogeneity and Criteria for Abnormality J. Nucl. Med., November 1, 2001; 42(11): 1630 - 1638. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. R. Corbett and E. P. Ficaro Gated SPECT and the Visual Gold Standard: Gold Standard or Not? J. Nucl. Med., November 1, 2001; 42(11): 1639 - 1642. [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. Taki, S. Fujino, K. Nakajima, I. Matsunari, H. Okazaki, T. Saga, H. Bunko, and N. Tonami 99mTc-Sestamibi Retention Characteristics During Pharmacologic Hyperemia in Human Myocardium: Comparison with Coronary Flow Reserve Measured by Doppler Flowire J. Nucl. Med., October 1, 2001; 42(10): 1457 - 1463. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. W. Wallis Use of Artificial Intelligence in Cardiac Imaging J. Nucl. Med., August 1, 2001; 42(8): 1192 - 1194. [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. Khorsand, M. Haddad, S. Graf, D. Moertl, H. Sochor, and G. Porenta Automated Assessment of Dipyridamole 201Tl Myocardial SPECT Perfusion Scintigraphy by Case-Based Reasoning J. Nucl. Med., February 1, 2001; 42(2): 189 - 193. [Abstract] [Full Text]

				E. Verna, L. Ceriani, L. Giovanella, G. Binaghi, and S. Garancini "False-Positive" Myocardial Perfusion Scintigraphy Findings in Patients with Angiographically Normal Coronary Arteries: Insights from Intravascular Sonography Studies J. Nucl. Med., December 1, 2000; 41(12): 1935 - 1940. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. M. Mostaza, M. V. Gomez, F. Gallardo, M. L. Salazar, R. Martin-Jadraque, L. Plaza-Celemin, I. Gonzalez-Maqueda, and L. Martin-Jadraque Cholesterol reduction improves myocardial perfusion abnormalities in patients with coronary artery disease and average cholesterol levels J. Am. Coll. Cardiol., January 1, 2000; 35(1): 76 - 82. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				R. J. Gibbons, K. Chatterjee, J. Daley, J. S. Douglas, S. D. Fihn, J. M. Gardin, M. A. Grunwald, D. Levy, B. W. Lytle, R. A. O'Rourke, et al. ACC/AHA/ACP-ASIM guidelines for the management of patients with chronic stable angina: A report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Practice Guidelines (Committee on Management of Patients With Chronic Stable Angina) J. Am. Coll. Cardiol., June 1, 1999; 33(7): 2092 - 2197. [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. M. Garber and N. A. Solomon Cost-Effectiveness of Alternative Test Strategies for the Diagnosis of Coronary Artery Disease Ann Intern Med, May 4, 1999; 130(9): 719 - 728. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. P. Michaelides, Z. D. Psomadaki, P. E. Dilaveris, D. J. Richter, G. K. Andrikopoulos, K. D. Aggeli, C. I. Stefanadis, and P. K. Toutouzas Improved Detection of Coronary Artery Disease by Exercise Electrocardiography with the Use of Right Precordial Leads N. Engl. J. Med., February 4, 1999; 340(5): 340 - 345. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				E. Rinaldi, M. Ierardi, N.S. Tiberio, G. L. Boccabella, C. Barbieri, F. Scopinaro, S. Morelli, M. DeSantis, and M. Banci 99mTc SESTAMIBI Scintigraphic Evaluation of Skeletal Muscle Disease in Patients with Systemic Sclerosis: Diagnostic Reliability and Comparison with Cardiac Function and Perfusion Angiology, August 1, 1998; 49(8): 641 - 648. [Abstract] [PDF]

				E. P. Ficaro, J. A. Fessler, P. D. Shreve, J. N. Kritzman, P. A. Rose, and J. R. Corbett Simultaneous Transmission/Emission Myocardial Perfusion Tomography : Diagnostic Accuracy of Attenuation-Corrected 99mTc-SestamibiSingle-Photon Emission Computed Tomography Circulation, February 1, 1996; 93(3): 463 - 473. [Abstract] [Full Text]

				B. L. Zaret and F. J. Wackers Nuclear Cardiology- First of Two Parts N. Engl. J. Med., September 9, 1993; 329(11): 775 - 783. [Full Text]