Background: Whether left ventricular function can be assessed accurately by gated single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) in patients with myocardial infarction and severe perfusion defects is not well known.
Methods and results: Twenty-five patients with an acute myocardial infarction underwent 99mTc-labeled tetrofosmin (99mTc-tetrofosmin) gated SPECT and cine magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Wall motion was assessed in 13 left ventricular segments using a 5-point scoring system ranging from 3 (normal) to -1 (dyskinetic). Exact agreement for wall motion scores between gated SPECT and MRI was excellent (92%, kappa = 0.82). Furthermore, correlations between the two techniques were also good for end-diastolic volume (r = 0.81, P < .0001), end-systolic volume (r = 0.92, P < .0001), and ejection fraction (r = 0.93, P < .0001).
Conclusion: In patients with a recent myocardial infarction, 99mTc-tetrofosmin gated SPECT provides reliable evaluation of global and regional ventricular function and volumes.