Clinical significance of reverse redistribution on resting thallium-201 imaging in patients with vasospastic angina.

To evaluate the clinical significance of reverse redistribution (RR) of resting 201Tl single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) in patients with vasospastic angina (VSA), we performed left ventriculography, coronary angiography and resting 201Tl-SPECT in 22 patients with VSA. Left ventriculography showed abnormal wall motion in 17 of 22 patients (77%) and 37 of 154 segments. Thirty-one of these 37 segments (84%) were within the area perfused by coronary arteries showing acetylcholine-induced vasospasm. On 201Tl images, abnormal findings were observed in 11 of 22 patients (50%), and among them, 7 patients (32%) had RR. Seven of 37 segments (19%) having abnormal regional wall motion had RR of 201TI, and in 6 of these 7 segments (86%), accumulation of 123I-BMIPP was found to be reduced. We conclude that repetitive brief myocardial ischemia may cause myocardial injuries in patients with VSA, and that the presence of RR of 201Tl indicates the presence of myocardial injury in these patients.