PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - Zheng, Xiao Ming AU - Williams, Robert Charles TI - Serum Caffeine Levels After 24-Hour Abstention: Clinical Implications on Dipyridamole <sup>201</sup>Tl Myocardial Perfusion Imaging DP - 2002 Sep 01 TA - Journal of Nuclear Medicine Technology PG - 123--127 VI - 30 IP - 3 4099 - http://tech.snmjournals.org/content/30/3/123.short 4100 - http://tech.snmjournals.org/content/30/3/123.full SO - J. Nucl. Med. Technol.2002 Sep 01; 30 AB - Background: Caffeine binds to the A2 receptors and inhibits adenosine’s action of vasodilation or dipyridamole-induced vasodilation. Patients scheduled for 201Tl myocardial perfusion using pharmacologic stress with dipyridamole or adenosine are advised to abstain from caffeine for 24 h before the test. This article reports on the residual serum caffeine levels of 36 patients after 24-h caffeine abstention and the clinical implications on dipyridamole 201Tl myocardial perfusion imaging. Methods and Results: Heart rate, diastolic blood pressure, and systolic blood pressure were recorded before and after dipyridamole infusion. Sixty-six percent of the patients had detectable plasma caffeine but all values were within the range of 0.1–0.8 mg/L. No statistically significant change in diastolic and systolic blood pressures after dipyridamole infusion has been observed. The mean heart rate was increased by 18% after dipyridamole infusion in patients with zero caffeine, and the heart rate increase was inversely correlated with the serum caffeine levels (r = −0.22) with 81% confidence. Conclusion: A serum caffeine level of 2 mg/L is predicted to be the lower limit for false-negative dipyridamole 201Tl myocardial perfusion. The increase of heart rate after dipyridamole infusion could be the simple indicator for the serum caffeine level. Rescheduling of the patient study or further adenosine challenge is necessary only if the heart rate increase is &lt;5% after dipyridamole or adenosine infusion.