RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Assessing Coronary Artery Disease with Thallium-201 Rest and Technetium-99m-Sestamibi Stress Testing at Two Centers
JF Journal of Nuclear Medicine Technology
JO J. Nucl. Med. Technol.
FD Society of Nuclear Medicine
SP 248
OP 251
VO 28
IS 4
A1 Art Meyers
A1 Jim Ballow
A1 Lee Topham
A1 Rusty Rainer
A1 Chuck Field
YR 2000
UL http://tech.snmjournals.org/content/28/4/248.abstract
AB Objective: In this study we assessed the specific location(s) of cardiac wall abnormalities in a population of patients referred for coronary artery disease and compared gender differences in the interpretation of nuclear medicine rest/stress results. Methods: The study group consisted of 846 patients referred to 2 nuclear medicine outpatient cardiology centers for assessment between November 1998 and April 1999. All patients received dual-isotope perfusion 201Tl rest/99mTc-sestamibi stress tests. A retrospective analysis of patient results was performed. Results: In both facilities the largest percentage of defects was identified in the inferior wall (35.5%), followed by the anterior wall (26.5%). Cardiac defects identified in 3 other walls were much lower: lateral wall (14.2%), septal (13.8%), and apical (9.5%). In both outpatient clinics the normalcy rate was much higher for women than men. The normalcy rate in men was 40%, whereas women demonstrated a normalcy rate of 60%. An analysis of treadmill stress versus pharmacologic stress did not illuminate the cause of this difference. Conclusion: The most common site of myocardial wall abnormalities occurred in the inferior wall followed by the anterior wall. A large disparity was identified between the results for men compared with those for women. Men had nearly twice the number of defects as women in this study.