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The Effects of Coronary Arterial Injection of Radioalbumin Macroaggregates on Coronary Hemodynamics and Myocardial Function

Laboratory of Nuclear Medicine and Radiation Biology and Department of Radiology, University of California School of Medicine, Los Angeles, California

Correspondence: For reprints contact: Norman Poe, M.D., Department of Radiology, UCLA Medical Center, Los Angeles, Calif. 90024.

ABSTRACT

The effects of intracoronary arterial injections of radioalbumin macroaggregates on coronary hemodynamics and myocardial function were studied in normal, anesthetized dogs to evaluate the possible use of this technique for determination of regional myocardial blood flow. Slow injections of macro-aggregates containing less than 0.05 mg albumin with no particles greater than 60–70 microns in maximum diameter can usually be given directly into the left anterior descending coronary artery with no significant changes in coronary flow, myocardial contractile force, arterial pressure, or the electrocardiogram. As the mass of albumin and/or particle size is progressively increased, a sequence of functional changes evolves. Coronary flow is reduced, followed immediately by transient hyperemia. Contractile force falls. Only after marked flow and contractile changes have been produced do abnormalities in arterial pressure and the ECG develop. The course of events is similar to that resulting from progressive coronary arterial occlusion. It is concluded that carefully prepared radioactive particles, in amounts sufficient for external scintillation scanning, can be injected into the coronary arteries without detectable alterations in function, and that the technique is suitable for acute and chronic determinations of regional myocardial perfusion both experimentally and clinically. The functional effects in the presence of coronary or myocardial disease are yet to be determined.