[Utility of 201Tl washout in syndrome X patients].

INTRODUCTION

The term Syndrome X defines a group of patients who present symptoms of typical angina pectoris, positive exercise test and normal coronaries in the arteriogram. This study aims to compare the results of 201Tl scan images and washout in Syndrome X patients.

METHODS

24 patients with typical angina and normal arteriogram and 30 normal controls were studied with 201Tl SPECT to evaluate uptake and washout.

RESULTS

201Tl perfusion defects were found in 3 out of 24 (12.5%) and washout defects in 22 out of 24 (91.6 %). There is a statistically significant reduction (0 < 0.05) in thallium uptake and washout in patients with syndrome X compared to the control group. In addition, patients with syndrome X had a higher thallium uptake at rest than during exercise compared to the healthy subjects.

CONCLUSIONS

Analysis of the 201Tl washout and thallium uptake can provide addition information in the evaluation of patients with syndrome X since the visual assessment of the cardiac scintigraphy with 201Tl is of limited value. Alterations of the myocardial perfusion in patients with chest pain and normal coronaries can be detected non-invasively with a complete scintigraphic study.