Evaluation of myocardial viability with thallium-201 infusion MPSPECT after oral glucose application in patients with chronic coronary artery disease.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the myocardial viability in nondiabetic patients with chronic coronary artery disease (CCAD) or past myocardial infarction (MI), using thallium-201 infusion myocardial perfusion single-photon emission computed tomography (MPSPECT) imaging after oral glucose application (Glu+Tl-infusion). In this study, 33 nondiabetic patients (three female, 30 male, mean age: 55.24+/-11 years, range: 33-77 years) with MI history or known CCAD were included. Rest/redistribution/24 h-late-MPSPECT imaging was performed for all patients. In all patients in whom fixed perfusion defect was observed on any wall of the left ventriculi, after 24 h-late-MPSPECT imaging, 75 g oral glucose was given. Thirty minutes later, 1 mCi thallium-201 in 100 ml of physiological saline solution was applied in a period of 20 min by slow infusion. After infusion at the 10th minute, MPSPECT imaging was performed. Perfusion was evaluated visually for a total of 3432 segments with the 26-segment 5-point scoring technique. Scoring measured perfusion as 0 = no perfusion defect, 1 = mildly reduced, 2 = moderately reduced, 3 = severely reduced, and 4 = absent uptake. Scores '0 and 1' were considered normal and scores '2-4' were considered abnormal. For serum insulin levels measured after glucose application, a significant increase was determined, according to the period before glucose application (P<0.001). When compared with rest MPSPECT images, segmental perfusion improvement both in redistribution and in the 24 h-late-MPSPECT images were 16.3 and 18.3%, respectively. This ratio was found to be 27.2% for Glu+Tl-infusion images. The ratios of segments in which perfusion was worsening were calculated to be 9.4, 14.5, and 7.3%, respectively, for redistribution, 24 h-late-MPSPECT, and Glu+Tl-infusion images. When this evaluation was made for all three vessel areas, again the highest perfusion improvement and the lowest perfusion worsening were detected for Glu+Tl-infusion images. In addition, when this evaluation was made for the three vessel areas according to the coronary narrowing degree, again the highest perfusion improvement was detected for Glu+Tl-infusion images, in segments in the left anterior descending artery, and right coronary artery areas with >/=90% narrowing. In rest images, in segments with segmental scores of 3 and 4, when the total reversibility ratio was evaluated, this ratio was calculated to be 0.7% for redistribution images and 4.5% for 24 h-late-MPSPECT. The highest total reversibility ratio in these segments was detected with Glu+Tl-infusion images to be 10.3%. When we evaluated the patients with respect to the MI history time, the highest segmental perfusion improvement was detected in patients with 0-3 months of MI history. We conclude that in nondiabetic patients who are known to have CCAD or past MI history, Glu+Tl-infusion is an easily applicable method that gives better results for the evaluation of myocardial viability.