BACKGROUND: Attenuation artifact remains a substantial limitation to confident interpretation of images and reduces laboratory efficiency by requiring comparison of stress and rest image sets. Attenuation-corrected stress-only imaging has the potential to ameliorate these limitations. METHODS AND RESULTS: Ten experienced nuclear cardiologists independently interpreted 90 stress-only electrocardiography (ECG)-gated technetium 99m sestamibi images in a sequential fashion: myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) alone, MPI plus ECG-gated data, and attenuation-corrected MPI with ECG-gated data. Images were interpreted for diagnostic certainty (normal, probably normal, equivocal, probably abnormal, abnormal, and perceived need for rest imaging). With stress MPI data alone, only 37% of studies were interpreted as definitely normal or abnormal, with a very high perceived need for rest imaging (77%). The addition of gated data did not alter the interpretations. However, attenuation-corrected data significantly increased the number of studies characterized as definitely normal or abnormal (84%, P <.005) and significantly reduced the perceived need for rest imaging (43%, P <.005). These results were confirmed by use of a nonsequential consensus interpretation of three readers. CONCLUSION: Attenuation correction applied to studies with stress-only Tc-99m ECG-gated single photon emission computed tomography images significantly increases the ability to interpret studies as definitely normal or abnormal and reduces the need for rest imaging. These findings may improve laboratory efficiency and diagnostic accuracy.
BACKGROUND: Attenuation artifact remains a substantial limitation to confident interpretation of images and reduces laboratory efficiency by requiring comparison of stress and rest image sets. Attenuation-corrected stress-only imaging has the potential to ameliorate these limitations. METHODS AND RESULTS: Ten experienced nuclear cardiologists independently interpreted 90 stress-only electrocardiography (ECG)-gated technetium 99m sestamibi images in a sequential fashion: myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) alone, MPI plus ECG-gated data, and attenuation-corrected MPI with ECG-gated data. Images were interpreted for diagnostic certainty (normal, probably normal, equivocal, probably abnormal, abnormal, and perceived need for rest imaging). With stress MPI data alone, only 37% of studies were interpreted as definitely normal or abnormal, with a very high perceived need for rest imaging (77%). The addition of gated data did not alter the interpretations. However, attenuation-corrected data significantly increased the number of studies characterized as definitely normal or abnormal (84%, P <.005) and significantly reduced the perceived need for rest imaging (43%, P <.005). These results were confirmed by use of a nonsequential consensus interpretation of three readers. CONCLUSION: Attenuation correction applied to studies with stress-only Tc-99m ECG-gated single photon emission computed tomography images significantly increases the ability to interpret studies as definitely normal or abnormal and reduces the need for rest imaging. These findings may improve laboratory efficiency and diagnostic accuracy.
Authors: Robert C Hendel; James R Corbett; S James Cullom; E Gordon DePuey; Ernest V Garcia; Timothy M Bateman Journal: J Nucl Cardiol Date: 2002 Jan-Feb Impact factor: 5.952
Authors: Mathew Shotwell; Balkrishna M Singh; Charlotte Fortman; Brian D Bauman; Jennifer Lukes; Myron C Gerson Journal: J Nucl Cardiol Date: 2002 Jan-Feb Impact factor: 5.952
Authors: R Hachamovitch; D S Berman; L J Shaw; H Kiat; I Cohen; J A Cabico; J Friedman; G A Diamond Journal: Circulation Date: 1998-02-17 Impact factor: 29.690
Authors: E Gordon Depuey; John J Mahmarian; Todd D Miller; Andrew J Einstein; Christopher L Hansen; Thomas A Holly; Edward J Miller; Donna M Polk; L Samuel Wann Journal: J Nucl Cardiol Date: 2012-04 Impact factor: 5.952
Authors: Manuel D Cerqueira; Kevin C Allman; Edward P Ficaro; Christopher L Hansen; Kenneth J Nichols; Randall C Thompson; William A Van Decker; Marko Yakovlevitch Journal: J Nucl Cardiol Date: 2010-08 Impact factor: 5.952
Authors: Arthur E Stillman; Matthijs Oudkerk; David A Bluemke; Menko Jan de Boer; Jens Bremerich; Ernest V Garcia; Matthias Gutberlet; Pim van der Harst; W Gregory Hundley; Michael Jerosch-Herold; Dirkjan Kuijpers; Raymond Y Kwong; Eike Nagel; Stamatios Lerakis; John Oshinski; Jean-François Paul; Riemer H J A Slart; Vinod Thourani; Rozemarijn Vliegenthart; Bernd J Wintersperger Journal: Int J Cardiovasc Imaging Date: 2018-03-19 Impact factor: 2.357