How do you interpret myocardial perfusion imaging?

A score of 1 represents an equivocal or mild reduction in perfusion, 2 represents moderately reduced perfusion, 3 represents severely reduced perfusion, and 4 indicates absent perfusion. The summed stress score for the left ventricle then is used to determine the risk for a future hard cardiac event (15).

What is SSS score?

The global scoring of myocardial perfusion uses measures such as: the Summed Stress Score (SSS), the Summed Rest Score (SRS), and the Summed Difference Score (SDS). The SSS is the sum of the individual scores from the 17 segments of the polar map obtained during stress.

What is cardiac scintigraphy?

What is heart scintigraphy? Myocardial scintigraphy combined with ergometry or a pharmacological (medicinal) stress test, is the most sensitive non-invasive test to identify and locate reduced blood flow to the heart muscle (Ischaemia).

What does abnormal myocardial perfusion mean?

Abnormal results may mean your heart isn’t pumping as well as it should. This might happen when you have heart damage or heart disease. Myocardial perfusion scans help us diagnose: Coronary artery disease. Heart failure.

Why would a doctor order a nuclear stress test?

Why it’s done You may need a nuclear stress test if you have signs or symptoms of heart disease such as chest pain or shortness of breath. A nuclear stress test may also be used to guide your treatment if you’ve been diagnosed with a heart condition.

What is normal myocardial perfusion?

Background. Normal or near normal myocardial perfusion stress imaging (MPI) suggests the absence of life-threatening coronary artery disease (CAD). Nevertheless, there are instances where severe left main or three-vessel CAD may be present despite no significant perfusion abnormalities on MPI.

What are the results of myocardial perfusion scintigraphy?

Myocardial perfusion scintigraphy (MPS) produces images of regional tracer uptake in the myocardium, refl ecting myocardial blood fl ow. Patients with a coronary stenosis develop hypo-perfusion during stress. On a SPECT MPS this hypo-perfusion is displayed as diminished regional tracer uptake in stress; the rest study then shows higher tracer uptake.

Why is EANM important for myocardial perfusion?

The increased sensitivity of cardiac-centered systems allows for a reduction in the activity of radiopharmaceutical injected into patients with similar scan time, in the duration of SPECT acquisitions with similar injected activities, or both (i.e., some reduction of injected activity and some reduction in scan time).

Why do you have to dilute tracer before a perfusion?

A dilution of the radiopharmaceutical after radiolabelling and before injection allows for an increase in the volumes of tracer injected into patients and may help to reduce the proportion of activity remaining in the syringe.

Why is 201 TL used in myocardial perfusion?

The use of 201 Tl can be interesting for the precise quantification of myocardial blood flow with SPECT using dynamic acquisitions. In addition, the redistribution of 201 Tl in the myocardium allows for a more sensitive detection of viability, in particular in myocardial territory with chronic occlusion of coronary arteries.