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. 2010 Feb 2;33(3):E56–E62. doi: 10.1002/clc.20577

Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction Assessment by Tl‐201 Gated SPECT: A Comparison With Echocardiography

David Harpaz 1,3,4,✉, Arik Asman 2, Rafael Kuperstein 2,4, Mona Boaz 1, Pierre Chouraqui 2,4
PMCID: PMC6653043  PMID: 20127905

Abstract

Background

Few studies including only a limited number of patients have compared left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) assessed by 2‐dimensional echocardiography (2‐DE) and electrocardiography‐gated Tl‐201 single‐photon emission computed tomography (SPECT).

Hypothesis

LVEF assessment by Tl‐201 gated spect is comparable with LVEF assessed by 2‐DE in two different echocardiographic laboratories.

Material and Methods

Patients (n = 402) underwent Tl‐201 gated SPECT in the same laboratory and 2‐DE in 2 different laboratories. Patients were divided into 2 groups according to the study laboratory: group 1, at the tertiary hospital and group 2, at a community laboratory.

Results

LVEF evaluations were similar (mean LVEF: 50.73% ± 11.67% by 2‐DE vs 50.11% ± 11.41% by SPECT in group 1 and 57.27% ± 7.44% by 2‐DE vs 57.41% ± 8.37% by SPECT in group 2). All LVEF measurements were highly correlated (r = 0.7, P<.001). Baseline characteristics differed between the groups, with a higher prevalence of past myocardial infarction in the in‐hospital vs the community echo group (46.7% vs 22.2%, P<.01), resulting in a higher LVEF in the latter, both by 2‐DE (mean 50.7% ± 11.7% vs 57.3% ± 7.4%, P<.01) and SPECT (50.1% ± 11.4% vs 57.4% ± 8.4%, P<.01).

Conclusions

The Tl‐201 gated SPECT is a reliable clinical tool for LVEF assessment, with good correlation when compared to 2‐DE. It may be routinely used as an alternative for patients with poor acoustic visualization and should be performed systematically in patients undergoing myocardial perfusion imaging with Tl‐201. Copyright © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Full Text

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