Sex-specific reference limits of left ventricular ejection fraction and volumes estimated by gated myocardial perfusion imaging for low-risk patients in China: a comparison between three quantitative algorithms

Abstract

Background: Establishing appropriate reference value limits of left ventricular (LV) functional parameters is fundamental for the assessment of cardiac function. At present, there are no reports aimed at establishing reference limits using gated myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) in mainland China.Methods: A total of 175 consecutive patients who were defined as low-risk coronary artery disease patients underwent stress Technetium-99m sestamibi ( 99m Tc-MIBI)-gated myocardial perfusion single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) imaging. The LV ejection fraction (EF), end-diastolic volume (EDV), and end-systolic volume (ESV) were obtained by 3 quantitative algorithms: quantitative-gated SPECT, emory cardiac toolbox, and 4-dimensional model SPECT, respectively. The threshold values were obtained using Gaussian distribution or percentiles. The influence of gender, age, and weight on cardiac functional parameters was analyzed by multiple regressions for linear models.