Myocardial redistribution of technetium-99m-methoxyisobutyl isonitrile (SESTAMIBI).

To determine whether technetium-99m-hexakis-2-methoxyisobutyl isonitrile (SESTAMIBI) remains fixed in the myocardium following its initial uptake or undergoes time-related redistribution, anesthetized dogs underwent occlusion of the anterior descending coronary artery for 6 min, followed by 3-hr reperfusion. Technetium-99m-SESTAMIBI and thallium-201 (201Tl) were injected intravenously after 1 min occlusion and regional myocardial blood flow was measured with radioactive microspheres. Tomographic imaging of Tc-SESTAMIBI revealed a perfusion defect with slight but definite filling in over 2 hr. Quantitative analysis indicated a significant rise in the nadir and decrease in the width of the defect in circumferential profile curves. After 3-hr of reperfusion, Tc-SESTAMIBI activity in the previously ischemic area was always greater than the activity of microspheres injected during coronary occlusion (mean normalized values, 0.32 versus 0.11, p less than 0.0001). Our results indicate that following transient ischemia and reperfusion, Tc-SESTAMIBI clearly undergoes myocardial redistribution, although more slowly and less completely than 201Tl.