Radionuclide assessment of cardiac performance in cystic fibrosis. Reproducibility and effect of theophylline on cardiac function.

A study was designed to evaluate the reproducibility of right and left ventricular ejection fraction measurements (RVEF, LVEF) by equilibrium radionuclide angiography in cystic fibrosis (CF) and to determine the effect of the acute administration of aminophylline on RVEF and LVEF in this disease. Both RVEF and LVEF were measured at rest and during incremental supine bicycle exercise by equilibrium radionuclide angiography in 18 patients with CF. In 9 of these patients, radionuclide studies were repeated after an infusion of aminophylline (9 mg/kg), whereas the remaining patients had radionuclide studies repeated after a placebo infusion. No significant increase in mean RVEF or LVEF values either at rest or at peak exercise was seen after aminophylline infusion. In the patients who underwent sequential radionuclide studies without intervening active drug intervention, the mean (+/- standard deviation) variability in RVEF and LVEF measurements between the 2 studies was 2.6 +/- 2% and 3.6 +/- 2.9%, respectively. We conclude that (1) equilibrium radionuclide angiography is a reasonably reproducible technique for serial assessment of biventricular function at rest and during exercise in CF, and that (2) the acute administration of aminophylline does not augment cardiac function either at rest or during exercise in this disease.