Comparison of Cadmium Zinc Telluride ECG-gated SPECT equilibrium radionuclide angiocardiography to magnetic resonance imaging to measure right ventricular volumes and ejection fraction in patients with cardiomyopathy.

AIMS

The objective of this study was to determine the accuracy of right ventricular function (RVF) assessed by Cadmium Zinc Telluride ECG-gated SPECT equilibrium radionuclide angiocardiography (CZT-ERNA).

METHODS AND RESULTS

Twenty-one consecutive patients with cardiomyopathy (aged 54 ± 19 years; 62% male) were included. RV ejection fraction (EF) and volumes were analyzed by CZT-ERNA and compared with values obtained by cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR). Mean values were not different between CZT-ERNA and MRI for RVEF (48.1 ± 10.4% vs 50.8 ± 10.0%; P = .23). Significant correlations (P < .0001) were observed between CZT-ERNA and MRI for RVEF, RV end-diastolic volume, and end-systolic volume (r = 0.81, r = 0.93, and r = 0.96, respectively). Bland-Altman analysis showed a mean difference (bias) between CZT-ERNA and MRI for RVEF of -2.69% (95% CI - 5.35 to - 0.42) with good agreement between the 2 techniques (limits of agreement, -14.3 to 8.99). Intraobserver and interobserver reproducibility of RVF measured by CZT-ERNA was high.

CONCLUSION

CZT-ERNA provides accurate, reproducible assessment of RVF and appears as a good alternative to cardiac magnetic resonance for the evaluation of the magnitude of RVF in patients with cardiomyopathy.