Resting "Solar Polar" map pattern and reduced apical flow reserve: characteristics of apical hypertrophic cardiomyopathy on SPECT myocardial perfusion imaging.

BACKGROUND

Patients with apical hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (ACM) are often referred for myocardial perfusion single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) as a result of marked T-wave inversion and chest pain syndromes. Stress perfusion defects have been reported in ACM, but the characteristic SPECT pattern as well as the typical findings on volume-weighted polar maps has not been described.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Dual-isotope rest (thallium 201) and exercise or adenosine stress (technetium 99m tetrofosmin) myocardial perfusion SPECT was performed in 11 patients with ACM, including 8 with either normal coronary arteriography (n = 5) or a low pretest probability of coronary artery disease (CAD) (n = 3), and 14 control patients with concentric left ventricular hypertrophy. An 8-pixel-diameter circular region of interest was used to quantitatively compare apical and septal counts on CEqual volume-weighted polar maps. A characteristic "Solar Polar" map pattern resulting from the increased apical counts was present in each ACM patient at rest, with a mean apical-septal ratio of 1.39 +/- 0.17 (range, 1.23-1.62, P <.01 vs concentric left ventricular hypertrophy group). With stress, there was a significant decrease in the apical-septal ratio (0.96 +/- 0.18, P <.001 vs rest) in the ACM subgroup without CAD.

CONCLUSION

Patients with ACM demonstrate a newly described "Solar Polar" map pattern at rest, as well as relative apical ischemia on the stress images even in the absence of CAD.