• Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.77-78
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• 2008

A 71-year-old woman was assigned to our department for Tc-99m myocardial perfusion SPECT(MPS) and coronary CT angiography. She admitted for substernal pain, via the ER, 2 days ago. The heart was scanned after intravenous injection of 925 MBq of $^{99m}Tc$-sestamibi adenosine-induced stress SPECT using dual head gamma camera (Hawkeye, GE healthcare. USA). The MPS shows decreased tracer uptake in the apical & mid area of anterior & lateral wall and mid & basal inferior wall. Coronary CT angiograph was obtained using Discovery VCT (GE healthcare). 3D angiography portrayed significant stenosis of ramus intermedius(RI) and posterolateral branch of right coronary artery(PLB) with fibrocalcified plaque. Two images were fused using Cardiac IQ fusion softwear package (Advantage workstation 4.4, GE healthcare) The fusion images explain the perfusion defect of anterior, lateral and inferior wall is due to stenosis of the RI and PLB. And 3 days later, coronary angiography was done and revealed the marked stenosis of RI and PLB. Then balloon angioplasty and stent was instituted in RI. Cardiac SPECT/CT fusion imaging provides additional information about hemodynamic relevance and facilitates lesion interpretation by allowing exact allocation of perfusion defects to its subtending coronary artery.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.13-16
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• 2014

Congenital abnormalities of the coronary arteries are found in 0.6% to 1.3% of patients in coronary angiography. Dual left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) is a rare coronary anomaly and is incidentally detected during coronary angiography. We report a case of a 65-year-old female with a rare coronary anomaly who was diagnosed with dual LAD via coronary computed tomography and coronary angiography. The imaging studies revealed dual LAD originating from the left main stem and right coronary sinus. These angiographic findings were considered to be consistent with the type IV variety of dual LAD by Spindola-Franco classification. Recognition of dual LAD is important to prevent errors of interpretation of the coronary angiogram and for optimal surgery.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.81 no.2
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• pp.250-271
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• 2020

Assessment of myocardial ischemia in patients with stable angina is important in deciding whether to treat coronary artery disease and in predicting clinical outcome. The fractional flow reserve is a standard reference for the diagnosis of myocardial ischemia, but this procedure has limitations because of its invasiveness. Coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) is now an established tool in the anatomic diagnosis of coronary artery disease; however, there are limits to the diagnosis of hemodynamically important stenosis that causes myocardial ischemia. In order to address this problem, studies using quantification of coronary atherosclerotic plaques, myocardial perfusion, and noninvasive calculation of fractional flow reserve based on CCTA have been actively conducted and recognized for their diagnostic value. In this review, several imaging techniques of CCTA used to assess myocardial ischemia are described.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.137-142
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• 1998

Purpose: $^{99m}Tc$-tetrofosmin(TF) is a recently proposed myocardial imaging agent which has similar biokinetic characteristics to $^{99m}Tc$-sestamibi(MIBI). The aim of this study was to compare TF and MIBI myocardial perfusion SPECTs in detecting coronary artery disease. Materials and Methods: One hundred and sixty patients(101 males, 59 females, mean age $57{\pm}9yr$) who had undergone both myocardial perfusion SPECT(M-SPECT) and coronary angiography within 1 month were studied. M-SPECT was performed using TF in 115 patients and MIBI in 45 patients. Stress-rest one day protocol was used in all patients. A coronary stenosis was considered significant when the luminal diameter ${\geq}$50% was compromised. The chi square test was used to compare differences in sensitivity and specificity between the two groups. Results: There was no difference in age and diseased coronary artery branches between the two groups. There were more male patients in TF group: Male-to-female ratios of TF and MIBI groups were 78:37 and 23:22, respectively(p<0.05). The overall sensitivity of TF study was 92% and specificity 36%. The overall sensitivity and specificity of MIBI study were 93% and 30%, respectively. There was no difference between TF and MIBI groups in identifying individual diseased coronary artery branches. Conclusion: One day stress-rest myocardial SPECT using either TF or MIBI was comparable and was a very sensitive test in detecting coronary artery disease.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.207-218
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• 2003

Myocardial perfusion imaging has been increasingly used to provide prognostic data and guidance on the choice of appropriate management of patients with known or suspected coronary artery disease. The electrocardiogram gated myocardial SPECT program is corning into wide use with an advent of $^{99m}Tc-labeled$ tracers and an improvement of SPECT machines. The gated technique permits measurement of important cardiac prognostic indicators without any further discomforts or radiation burden in patients underwent standard myocardial perfusion SPECT. In addition, gated study significantly improves diagnostic yield by reducing the number of borderline interpretations and could find myocardial stunning and viable myocardium. Gated single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) imaging allows the automated calculation of end-diastolic volume, end-systolic volume, ejection fraction, myocardial mass and the assessment of regional wall motion and thickening, and it have dramatically improved assessment of coronary artery disease in routine nuclear practice. This allows the simultaneous assessment of both perfusion and function within the same acquisition, and serves as a cost-effective technique for providing more diagnostic data with fewer diagnostic tests. Because the diagnostic and prognostic power derived from knowledge of left ventricular function can be added to that provided by assessing myocardial perfusion, gated SPECT imaging has rapidly gained widespread acceptance and is now used on a routine clinical basis in a growing number of laboratories, including South Korea. The gated SPECT technique for measurement of left ventricular parameters has been validated against a variety of well established techniques. In this work, overview of gated myocardial perfusion SPECT focus on functional parameters is presented.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.43 no.1
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• pp.25-32
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• 2010

Background: Patients with vascular diseases commonly have coronary artery disease and associated cardiac problems. Therefore, their underlying heart diseases may be induced or exacerbated after vascular surgery. The effectiveness of SPECT imaging, which is a relatively simple and non-invasive imaging modality, for assessing these underlying heart diseases is still controversial. This study was performed to evaluate the clinical effect of tests and treatment based on SPECT imaging prior to vascular surgery on the development of post-operation cardiac complications. Material and Method: Sixty three patients who were treated at Inje University Pusan Paik Hospital between April 2004 and September 2007 and who underwent adenosine infusion technetium-99m (Tc-99m) tetrofosmin SPECT imaging prior to vascular surgery were selected for this study and we retrospectively reviewed their records. Result: The sensitivity and specificity of detecting a perfusion defect on SPECT to predict the development of cardiac complications was relatively low at 41.2% and 52.2%, respectively. However when coronary angiographies were done on the patients with abnormal SPECT and this was followed by aggressive treatment such as coronary artery intervention and coronary artery bypass grafting based on the angiography results, there was a tendency for lower cardiac complication rates. Conclusion: SPECT imaging shows low effectiveness as a screening test for predicting cardiac complications after vascular surgery.

• Journal of Cardiovascular Imaging
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.37-46
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• 2022

BACKGROUND: A body of research advocates the prognostic role and usefulness of the volumetric markers of left atrial (LA) phasic functions in the diagnosis of LA dysfunction. We aimed to determine the independent determinants of the volumetric markers of LA contraction function in candidates for coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. METHODS: This cross-sectional study enrolled 516 candidates for CABG. The biplane maximal, minimal, and pre-P volumes of the LA were measured with two-dimensional echocardiography, and LA active emptying fraction was calculated. The standardized correlation coefficient for the correlation between each factor and LA active emptying fraction was calculated by using univariate and backward multivariable regression analyses. RESULTS: The multivariable regression analysis demonstrated that the heart rate (β = 0.15; p = 0.001), S (β = 0.09; p = 0.036), E/e' ratio (β = -0.11; p = 0.014), left ventricle (LV) ejection fraction (β = 0.15; p = 0.001), and LA enlargement (β = -0.19; p < 0.001) were the independent determinants of LA active emptying fraction. CONCLUSIONS: The independent determinants of LA contraction function were the heart rate, S, LV ejection fraction, LA enlargement, and E/e' ratio in candidates for CABG surgery.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.72-81
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• 1992

Pharmacologic coronary vasodilation in conjunction with myocardial scintigraphy has become an accepted alternative to dynamic exercise testing for the diagnosis of coronary artery disease. Although dipyridamole has traditionally been used for this purpose, it causes frequent side effect, which at times can be life-threatening. Moreover, dipyridamole dose not elicit maximal coronary vasodilation in a substantial number of patients receiving the usual i.v. dose. Adenosine is an endogenously produced compound that has significant effects as a coronary vasodilator and rapid onset action and extremely short half-life (< 10 seconds). The diagnostic accuracy and safety profile of adenosine $^{99m}Tc-MIBI$ myocardial scintigraphy were evaluated and comparison with exercise $^{99m}Tc-MIBI$ was performed. Twenty-eight subjects underwent $^{99m}Tc-MIBI$ imaging after adenosine infusion and exercise $^{99m}Tc-MIBI$ imaging. Adenosine was infused intravenously at a dose of 0.14mg/kg/body weight per minute for 6 min and MIBI was injected at 3 minute. Adenosine caused an incerease in heart rate ($64{\pm}12$ at baseline versus $74{\pm}16$ beats/min at peak effect, p<0.001), a mild decrease in systolic and diastolic blood pressure and a slightly increase in PR interval(p; NS). Side effects were reported in 92% of patients and were mostly mild in nature and promptly resolved within 1 or 2 minutes of termination of adenosine infusion. Facial flushing (53%), chest pain (36%), mild dyspnea (39%), headache (21%), throat discomfort (21%) were frequent symptoms. ST segment depression (> 1 mm) and second degree AV block in electrocardiography occured in 11% of the patients, respectively. The overall sensitivity and specificity for individual coronary stenoses in 16 patients underwent coronary angiography were 88% and 95%, respectively. The agreement ratio of segmental perfusion between adenosine and exercise images was 92% (Kappa index=0.82). In conclusion, $^{99m}Tc-MIBI$ myocardial perfusion scintigraphy with intravenous adenosine is a feasible, safe and highly accurate noninvasive technique for the detection of coronary artery disease and results are at least comparable with those of exercise $^{99m}Tc-MIBI$ scintigraphy.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.589-595
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• 2023

If complete coronary artery occlusion occurs due to severer coronary spasm, malignant arrhythmias can lead to death. Therefore, early screening for coronary artery spasm angina is essential. Among the test methods, the drug injection test through coronary angiography is generally performed. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the advantages of ergonovine drug test for vasospasitc angina examination during coronary angiography, such as the relationship between the procedure time, contrast medium usage, and radiation exposure effects of coronary angiography. Follow-up data of 142 patients who underwent coronary angiography and variant angina examination from september 2021 to february 2023 were used. As a result of analyzing contrast usage dose and dose area product and air kerma dose and number of imaging series and procedure time, variant angina examination was statistically significantly higher than coronary angiography. (p<0.001) In conclusion, variant angina examination other than coronary artery angiography are radiologically negative. Therefore, we think it is better to avoid excessive inspection. Nevertheless, in the case of the provocation test, the longer the examination time, the higher the fluoroscopy time and the amount of contrast medium used, so it is better to conduct the test as quickly as possible or shorten it.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.21 no.12
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• pp.1285-1293
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• 2020

Objective: To evaluate the effects of vasodilators on contrast enhancement and transluminal attenuation gradient (TAG) of coronary arteries at coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA). Materials and Methods: We retrospectively reviewed CCTA scans of patients who underwent double-acquisition CCTA; CCTA without a vasodilator, and CCTA during a intravenous (IV) infusion of nitrate. Among them, we enrolled 19 patients who had no significant atherosclerotic lesions or coronary spasms. In the control group, 28 patients were enrolled who showed normal coronary arteries on CCTA, which was acquired by a conventional method (sublingual vasodilator). We measured the TAG and Hounsfield units for each of the three major epicardial coronary arteries (reported as 'ProxHU') and then compared the results between the nitrate administration methods (CT without vasodilator [CT_pre], CT with IV vasodilator [CT_iv], and CT with sublingual vasodilator [CT_sub]). Results: The mean TAG showed a significant difference between the coronary arteries (right coronary artery [RCA] > left anterior descending artery [LAD] > left circumflex artery [LCX], p < 0.05), while there was no difference in ProxHU of each coronary artery in all three types of nitrate administration methods (p > 0.05). The TAG of CT_pre group showed steeper slope than those of vasodilator groups (CT_iv and CT_sub) on LAD and LCX ([LAD: CT_pre = -22.1 ± 6.66, CT_iv = -16.76 ± 5.78, and CT_sub = -16.47 ± 5.78, p = 0.005], [LCX: CT_pre = -31.26 ± 17.43, CT_iv = -23.74 ± 14.06, and CT_sub = -20.94 ± 12.15, p = 0.051]), while that of RCA showed no significant differences (p = 0.600). When comparing proxHU, CT_iv showed higher proxHU than that of CT_pre or CT_sub, especially on LCX (CT_pre = 426.7 ± 68.3, CT_iv = 467.9 ± 84.9, and CT_sub = 404.9 ± 63.3, p = 0.013). ProxHU showed a negative correlation with TAG on all three of methods (r = -0.280, p < 0.001). Conclusion: TAG in CCTA was significantly affected by vasodilator administration. Both TAG and ProxHU of coronary arteries tend to increase with vasodilator administration on CCTA.