Clinical assessment of myocardial perfusion with thallium-201.

Assessment of myocardial perfusion and coronary blood flow in man can be performed reliably and successfully using thallium-201 imaging. The extent of exercise myocardial perfusion abnormalities reflects the functional significance of coronary artery stenosis. Accordingly, myocardial perfusion imaging is not only useful for the detection of coronary artery disease, but it also provides unique functional information which should be helpful in the management of patients with known coronary artery disease. The unfavorable physical properties of thallium-201 have limited to a certain extent full utilization of the clinical potential of the methodology. Now technetium-99m-labeled myocardial perfusion imaging agents promise to further enhance the clinical usefulness of myocardial perfusion imaging in patients.