No abstract

Our data suggest that the use of an NTG MIBI protocol results in an incremental improvement for detecting exercise-induced perfusion defect reversibility and achieves results similar to those from a TI-201 reinjection protocol.

This study test whether sublingual administration of nitroglycerin (NTG) could improve the capability of 99mTc-MIBl to detect reversibility in exercise-induced perfusion defects and to compare it with the 2~ stress-redistribution-reinjection protocol. Twenty-one patients with previous myocardial infarction were submitted to exercise, rest and NTG rest 99mTc-MIBI imaging (3-day protocol). The patients also underwent exercise, redistribution and reinjection 2~ myocardial scintigraphy. A total of 273 myocardial segments were analyzed: 76 (28%) had irreversible defects on stress-rest 99mTc-MIBI, 60 (79%) appeared as fixed defects and 16 (21%) were reversible on NTG rest 99mTc-MIBI. Of the 78 myocardial segments with irreversible defects on standard stress-redistribution thallium cardiac imaging, 63 (81%) did not change and 15 (19%) demonstrated enhanced uptake of thallium after reinjection. Data show that rest NTG ~mTc-MIBI study improves the detection of reversible myocardium versus standard exercise/rest 99mTc-MIBI and achieve similar results than 2~ reinjection protocol.