Abstract
Background
Various algorithms have been developed to compute right ventricular (RV) and left ventricular (LV) end-diastolic volumes, end-systolic volumes, and ejection fractions (EF) from tomographic radionuclide ventriculography (TRV). The aims of this investigation were to establish sex-specific normal limits, to determine whether different algorithms produce the same normal values, and to compare TRV normal limits vs for magnetic resonance imaging values in the literature.
Methods
Fifty-one healthy volunteers (29 men, 22 women) were studied prospectively. All subjects had normal electrocardiograms and echocardiographic examinations, and underwent both planar radionuclide ventriculography and TRV. Four algorithms were used to process TRV data.
Results
Normal limits for most functional parameters differed significantly from one algorithm to another. Volumes were greater in men, but no statistically significant differences were found between men and women for LV EF or RV EF values for any method. Normal LV and RV EF and volumes were largely consistent with the literature for cardiac magnetic resonance imaging.
Conclusions
Ventricular measurements differ significantly among TRV algorithms. Therefore, it is important to apply sex-specific normal limits that are specific to a given TRV algorithm in interpreting LV and RV EF and volume measurements for each patient.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Faber TL, Stokely EM, Templeton GH, Akers MS, Parkey RW, Corbett JR. Quantification of three-dimensional left ventricular segmental wall motion and volumes from gated tomographic radionuclide ventriculograms. J Nucl Med 1989;30:638–49.
DePuey EG, Nichols K, Dobrinsky C. Left ventricular ejection fraction assessed from gated Tc-99m sestamibi SPECT. J Nucl Med 1993;34:1871–6.
Germano G, Kiat H, Kavanagh PB, Mariel M, Mazzanti M, Su HT, et al. Automatic quantification of ejection fraction from gated myocardial perfusion SPECT. J Nucl Med 1995;36:2138–47.
Faber TL, Cooke DC, Folks RD, Vansant JP, Nichols KJ, DePuey EG, et al. Left ventricular function from gated SPECT perfusion images: an integrated method. J Nucl Med 1999;40:650–9.
Berger HJ, Matthay RA, Loke J, Marshall RC, Gottschalk A, Zaret BL. Assessment of cardiac performance with quantitative radionuclide angiocardiography: right ventricular ejection fraction with reference to findings in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Am J Cardiol 1978;41:897–905.
Schamberger MS, Hurwitz RA. Course of right and left ventricular function in patients with pulmonary insufficiency after repair of tetralogy of Fallot. Pediatr Cardiol 2000;21:244–8.
Markewicz W, Sechtem U, Higgins CB. Evaluation of the right ventricle by magnetic resonance imaging. Am Heart J 1987;113:8–15.
Nichols K, Santana CA, Folks R, Krawczynska E, Cooke DC, Faber TL, et al. Comparison between “ECTb” and “QGS” for assessment of left ventricular function from gated myocardial perfusion SPECT. J Nucl Cardiol 2002;9:285–93.
Sharir T, Germano G, Kavanagh PB, Lai S, Cohen I, Lewin HC, et al. Incremental prognostic value of post-stress left ventricular ejection fraction and volume by gated myocardial perfusion single photon emission computee tomography. Circulation 1999;100:1035–42.
Rozanski A, Nichols K, Yao SS, Malholtra S, Cohen R, DePuey EG. Development and application of normal limits for left ventricular ejection fraction and volume measurements from 99mTcsestamibi myocardial perfusion gated SPECT. J Nucl Med 2000; 41:1445–50.
Van Kriekinge SD, Berman DS, Germano G. Automatic quantification of left ventricular ejection fraction from gated blood pool SPECT. J Nucl Cardiol 1999;6:498–506.
Vanhove C, Franken PR, Defrise M, Momen A, Everaert H, Bossuyt A. Automatic determination of left ventricular ejection fraction from gated blood-pool tomography. J Nucl Med 2001;42:401–7.
Ficaro EP, Quaife RF, Kritzman JN, Corbett JR. Validation of a new fully automatic algorithm for quantification of gated blood pool SPECT: correlations with planar gated blood pool and perfusion SPECT [abstract]. J Nucl Med 2002;5:97P.
Nichols K, Saouaf R, Ababneh AA, Barst RJ, Rosenbaum MS, Groch MW, et al. Validation of SPECT equilibrium radionuclide angiographic right ventricular parameters by cardiac magnetic rosonance imaging. J Nucl Cardiol 2002;9:153–60.
Christian PE, Nortmaan CA, Taylor A. Comparison of fully automated and manual ejection fraction calculations: validation and pitfalls. J Nucl Med 1985;26:775–82.
Nichols K, Humayun N, De Bondt P, Vandenberghe S, Akinboboye OO, Bergmann SR. Model dependence of gated blood pool SPECT ventricular function measurements. J Nucl Cardiol 2004; 11:282–92.
Vanhove C, Franken PR. Left ventricular ejection fraction and volumes from gated blood pool tomography: comparison between two automatic algorithms that work in three-dimensional space. J Nucl Cardiol 2001;8:466–71.
Daou D, Van Kriekinge SD, Coaguila C, Lebtahi R, Fourme T, Sitbon O, et al. Automatic quantification of right ventricular function with gated blood pool SPECT. J Nucl Cardiol 2004;11:293–304.
De Bondt P, Nichols K, Vandenberghe S, Segers P, De Winter O, Van de Wiele C, et al. Validation of gated blood-pool SPECT cardiac measurements tested using a biventricular dynamic physical phantom. J Nucl Med 2003;44:967–72.
De Bondt P, Claessens T, Rys B, De Winter O, Vandenberghe S, Segers P, et al. Accuracy of 4 different algorithms for the analysis of tomographic radionuclide ventriculography using a physical, dynamic 4-chamber cardiac phantom. J Nucl Med 2005;46:165–71.
Sandstede J, Lipke C, Beer M, Hofmann S, Pabst T, Kenn W, et al. Age- and gender-specific differences in left and right ventricular cardiac function and mass determined by cine magnetic resonance imaging. Eur Radiol 2000;10:438–42.
Alfakih K, Plein S, Thiele H, Jones T, Ridgway JP, Sivananthan MU. Normal human left and right ventricular dimensions for MRI as assessed by turbo gradient echo and steady-state free precession imaging sequences. J Magn Reson Imaging 2003;17:323–9.
De Bondt P, Van de Wiele C, De Sutter J, De Winter F, De Backer G, Diercks RA. Age- and gender-specific differences in left ventricular cardiac function and volumes determined by gated SPECT. Eur J Nucl Med 2001;28:620–4.
Lorenz CH, Walker ES, Morgan VL, Klein SS, Graham TP Jr. Normal human right and left ventricular mass, systolic function, and gender differences by cine magnetic resonance imaging. J Cardiovasc Magn Reson 1999;1:7–21.
Salton CJ, Chuang ML, O’Donnell CJ, Kupka MJ, Larson MG, Kissinger KV, et al. Gender differences and normal left ventricular anatomy in an adult population free of hypertension. A cardiovascular magnetic resonance study of the Framingham Heart Study Offspring cohort. J Am Coll Cardiol 2002;39:1055–60.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Bondt, P.D., De Winter, O., Nichols, K.J. et al. Comparison among tomographic radionuclide ventriculography algorithms for computing left and right ventricular normal limits. J Nucl Cardiol 13, 675–684 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nuclcard.2006.06.135
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nuclcard.2006.06.135