[The usefulness of preoperative exercise stress myocardial single photon emission CT with thallium-201 to predict the responses to coronary revascularization].

To evaluate the usefulness of preoperative exercise stress (Ex) myocardial single photon emission CT (SPECT) with thallium-201 to predict the responses to coronary revascularization (CRV), Ex-SPECT's were obtained in 42 patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). In 34 patients angioplasty was performed and in 18 patients coronary bypass surgery was undergone. Before and after CVR, Ex-SPECT's were obtained both at immediately after Ex (Initial) and 3 hours later (RD) by the rotating gamma camera. Initial images before CRV showed definite perfusion defects (+3) in 76 myocardial segments. Perfusion abnormalities at RD images were graded into 4 (+3 to 0) by visual interpretation. "+3" indicated fixed defect and "0" indicated no perfusion abnormality. At RD images 17 segments showed fixed defect and 59 segments showed improved perfusion more than one grade. After CRV, all 59 segments with improved perfusion at RD images showed improvement of perfusion in comparison with initial images before CRV. Out of 17 segments with fixed defect before CRV, 14 segments showed perfusion defect with +3, while 3 segments showed improved perfusion after CRV. These 3 segments had ECG evidence of myocardial infarction. In these 3 segments, Ex-SPECT's before CRV showed abnormally low myocardial T1 washout rate (WOR) despite they indicated fixed defect visually. On the contrary, other 14 segments with fixed defect showed normal WOR before CRV. In conclusion, visually interpreted Ex-SPECT's before CRV predict the myocardial perfusion after CRV in most of cases.2+n a small