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Semi-quantitative indices of cardiac uptake in patients with suspected cardiac amyloidosis undergoing 99mTc-HMDP scintigraphy

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Journal of Nuclear Cardiology Aims and scope

Abstract

Background

99mTc-HMDP scintigraphy has proved its efficacy in non-invasive diagnosis of cardiac amyloidosis (CA) and is currently interpreted according to the Perugini qualitative assessment. Several semi-quantitative indices have been proposed to overcome inherent possible limitations of visual grading. Our aim was to comparatively evaluate six different indices and their diagnostic performance.

Methods

We retrospectively reviewed scintigraphy of 76 patients (53 ATTR, 12 AL, 11 LVH) who underwent diagnostic evaluation at our centre. ROC-curve analysis was performed to identify optimal cut-off and relative diagnostic accuracy of six different indices (of which one was proposed for the first time), both in identifying CA patients and in discriminating patients according to their Perugini score.

Results

Heart/Whole-body ratios proved to be the most accurate (100%) in identifying CA patients. Heart/Pelvis ratio (with soft tissue background correction) offered acceptable accuracy (98%), with the largest area under the curve (AUC) (0.98) in discriminating patients with Perugini ≥ 2. Heart/Contralateral Lung ratio confirmed to be exposed to confounding background noise in case of simultaneous lung uptake. Heart/Skull ratio had the worst performance, with six false-negative patients in ATTR identification.

Conclusion

Heart/Whole-body ratios may be robust and effective semi-quantitative indices for the evaluation of CA by means of scintigraphy

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Abbreviations

H/WBr:

Heart/whole-body rectangular ROI ratio

H/WBp:

Heart/whole-body profile ROI ratio

H/P:

Heart/Pelvis Index

H/S:

Heart/Skull Index

H/P-bkg:

Heart/pelvis ratio with tissue background correction

H/CL:

Heart/contralateral lung ratio

99mTc-HMDP:

99mTc-Hydroxymethylene diphosphonate

99mTc-DPD:

99mTc-3,3-diphosphono-1,2-propanodicarboxylic acid

99mTc-PYP:

99mTc-Pyrophosphate

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The authors have no conflict of interest in this manuscript preparation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Nuclear Medicine Unit, Careggi University Hospital, Florence, Italy

    Chiara Gallini MD, PhD, Francesca Tutino MD, Alfonso Ciaccio MD & Egidio Natalino Costanzo MD

  2. Cardiovascular and Thoracic Department, Careggi University Hospital, Florence, Italy

    Raffaele Martone MD, Giulia Taborchi MD, Sofia Morini MD & Simone Bartolini MD

  3. Interventional Structural Cardiology Division, Department of Heart, Lung and Vessels, Careggi University Hospital, Florence, Italy

    Carlo Di Mario MD, PhD

  4. Tuscan Regional Amyloid Centre, Careggi University Hospital, Florence, Italy

    Silvia Farsetti MD, Federico Perfetto MD, PhD & Francesco Cappelli MD

  5. Intensive Cardiac Care Unit, Interventional Structural Cardiology Division, Department of Heart, Lung and Vessels, Careggi University Hospital, Largo Brambilla 3, 50134, Florence, Italy

    Francesco Cappelli MD

Authors
  1. Chiara Gallini MD, PhD
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  2. Francesca Tutino MD
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  3. Raffaele Martone MD
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  4. Alfonso Ciaccio MD
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  5. Egidio Natalino Costanzo MD
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  8. Simone Bartolini MD
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  9. Silvia Farsetti MD
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  10. Carlo Di Mario MD, PhD
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  11. Federico Perfetto MD, PhD
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  12. Francesco Cappelli MD
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Correspondence to Francesco Cappelli MD.

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Gallini, C., Tutino, F., Martone, R. et al. Semi-quantitative indices of cardiac uptake in patients with suspected cardiac amyloidosis undergoing 99mTc-HMDP scintigraphy. J. Nucl. Cardiol. 28, 90–99 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12350-019-01643-w

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