Semiquantification of myocardial perfusion and EKG-gated scintigrams using two software packages

Objectives The aim of this study was to compare the diagnostic value of ischemia, wall thickening and wall motion of the Corridor4DM (4DM) and Cedars-Sinai (QPS,QGS) software packages for semiquantification of myocardial perfusion (MPS) and EKG-gated (MGS) scintigrams.

Methods Patients and methods: we studied 123 (52 males with a mean age of 62,9 years, 71 females with a mean age of 61,4 years) consecutive patients who underwent two-day stress/rest (99m)Tc-tetrofosmin MPS and MGS studies. All patients had pharmacological stess-test with Dipyridamole. The reference classification for MPS and MGS studies regarding presence or absence of ischemia and normal or decreased wall thickening and motion were obtained from two physicians (with more than 25-, 10 years experience in nuclear cardiology). Semiquantitative processing was done using 4DM, QPS, QGS software packages. A 17-segment analysis was performed.

Results Results: In 30/123 cases had myocardial ischemia according to the two physicians, and 24 and 26 patients fullfilled the criteria for 4DM and QPS. In 6/93 cases and in 9/93 cases were false positive ischemia for 4DM and QPS. In 8/123 cases had decreased wall thickening, and 16/123 had decreased wall motion and the criteria were fullfilled all of them for 4DM and QGS. In 28/105 cases and in 6/105 cases were false positive decreased wall thickening for 4DM and QGS. In 17/107 cases and in 4/107 cases were false positive decreased wall motion for 4DM and QGS. The differences in false positive rate between 4DM and QGS were statistically significant (p<0,001).

Conclusions Conclusion: 4DM and QPS showed negligable difference for ischemia. QGS showed considerable significantly higher specificity for decreased wall motion and thickening