[Assessment of 201Tl myocardial SPECT reinjected at 24 hours after stress imaging].

To improve the quality of 24 hours delayed images (24 DL) of stress thallium-201 myocardial SPECT, reinjection was performed at 24 hours later (24 RI), and the results were compared with those of 24 DL. A total of 45 patients were studied, including 18 patients in 24 DL, 27 patients in 24 RI. All of them showed persistent defect or incomplete redistribution on the routine stress and 3 hours delayed SPECT scans. In 24 RI, 37 MBq of thallium-201 was reinjected at 24 hours later. Myocardial count of 24 DL was about 1/4 of stress image, while 24 RI was about 1/2. Quality of 24 RI image was nearly equal to 3 hours delayed image. Of regions without redistribution at 3 hours delayed image, 5 (36%) regions showed new redistribution at 24 RI. Of regions incomplete redistribution, 6 (25%) regions showed further redistribution. Compared with 24 DL, the frequency of redistribution tended to be higher in this protocol than that of the 24 DL (11%, 17% respectively). In conclusion, the reinjection at 24 hours delayed imaging was considered to be useful to evaluate viability of myocardium in patient with CAD.