Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction Measured from Tc-Sestamibi Myocardial Perfusion Gated SPECT: Comparison with Echocardiography

Received 9/25/2009; revised 10/21/2009; accepted 10/23/2009. For correspondence and reprints contact: Hsiu-Lan Chu, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital. 100 Tzyou 1st Road, San-Ming District, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan. Tel: (886)7-3121101 ext. 7152, Fax: (886)73117521, E-mail: [email protected] Purpose: The aim of this study was to compare the estimated LVEF between Tc-sestamibi myocardial perfusion gated SPECT and M-mode echocardiography. Methods: A total of 43 patients (19 males, 24 females, mean age of 65.3 11.7 years, range from 31 to 85 years) undergoing myocardial perfusion gated SPECT with a one-day Tc-sestamibi rest/dipyridamole stress protocol and echocardiography within one month were enrolled into this retrospective study. The measurements of LVEF from stress myocardial perfusion gated SPECT were performed with a manual method (modified Simpson’s formula) and two automatic software packages (AutoQUANT-QGS and 4D-MSPECT). The LVEF was also estimated with 2D-guided M-mode echocardiography (Teichholz formula). Results: In myocardial perfusion gated SPECT, the means SD of LVEF estimated with manual method, AutoQUANT-QGS, and 4D-MSPECT were 63.6 10.6%, 64.7 14.3%, and 65.1 12.6% respectively. The values of LVEF had no significant differences between each other of the three methods (all P >0.05). The values of LVEF also correlated well between each other of the three methods (all P <0.01). The mean SD of LVEF estimated with echocardiography was 67.8 12.5%. In comparison with echocardiography, the correlation coefficients of the manual method, AutoQUANT-QGS, and 4D-MSPECT were 0.84, 0.77, and 0.74 respectively (all P <0.01). However, the values of LVEF from echocardiography were significantly higher than the manual method and AutoQUANT-QGS (P <0.01 and 0.03, respectively). Conclusion: The values of LVEF estimated from Tcsestamibi myocardial perfusion gated SPECT correlated well with M-mode echocardiography.