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Dipyridamole thallium-201 single-photon emission tomography in aortic stenosis: gender differences

European Journal of Nuclear Medicine volume 22, pages 1155–1162 (1995)Cite this article

Abstract

Dipyridamole single-photon emission tomography (SPET) is used for the detection of coronary artery disease (CAD) and the method has also been applied in patients with aortic stenosis. This study was undertaken to establish the gender-specific normal limits of thallium-201 distribution in patients with aortic stenosis and to apply these normal limits in a larger group of patiens with aortic stenosis to obtain the sensitivity and specificity for coexisting CAD. A low-dose dipyridamole protocol was used (0.56 mg/kg during 4 min). Thallium was injected 2 min later and tomographic imaging was performed. Following image reconstruction a basal, a mid-ventricular and an apical short-axis slice were selected. The highest activity in each 6° segment was normalised to the maximal acitivity of each slice. The normal uptake for patients with aortic stenosis was obtained from ten men and ten women with aortic stenosis and a normal coronary angiography. Eighty-nine patients were prospectively evaluated. An area reduction of at least 75% in a coronary artery was considered to be a significant coronary lesion and was found in 57 (64%) patients. With gender-specific curves (-2.5 SD) sensitivity for detecting CAD was 100% and specificity was 75% in men, while sensitivity was 61% and specificity 64% in women. It is concluded that the gender-specific normal distribution of201T1 uptake in patients with aortic stenosis, using dipyridamole SPET, yields a high sensitivity and specificity for coronary artery lesions in men but a lower sensitivity and specificity in women with aortic stenosis.

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Affiliations

  1. Department of Clinical Physiology, University Hospital of Northern Sweden, S-90185, Umeå, Sweden

    L. Peter Rask & Kjell H. Karp

  2. Department of Radiology, University Hospital of Northern Sweden, Umeå, Sweden

    N. Peter Eriksson

  3. Department of Cardiology, University Hospital of Northern Sweden, Umeå, Sweden

    L. Peter Rask, N. Peter Eriksson & Thomas Mooe

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  1. L. Peter Rask
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  2. Kjell H. Karp
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  3. N. Peter Eriksson
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  4. Thomas Mooe
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Rask, L.P., Karp, K.H., Eriksson, N.P. et al. Dipyridamole thallium-201 single-photon emission tomography in aortic stenosis: gender differences. Eur J Nucl Med 22, 1155–1162 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00800598

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00800598

Key words

  • Aortic stenosis
  • Thallium-201
  • Singlephoton emission tomography
  • Gender differences
  • Computer evaluation