• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.172-176
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• 1994

As the Tc-99m-MIBI myocardial SPECT demonstrated wide application in the diagnosis of myocardial function, the quantitative and severity-dependent information is currently re quired. In this study, we proposed a computerized method for scoring the fixed defects in terms of extent-weighted severity and for identifying the reversibility in ischemic regions. At the first stage of this method, the transverse slices were reconstructed with 0.4 Nyquist freq. and order 5 Butterworth filter. From the oblique/sagittal slices, maximal count per pixel circumferential profiles were extracted for each sector, and then stress/redist. polar maps were normalized and plotted. For reversibility, the stress polar map was subtracted from the de-layed image and positive-valued pixels were categorized into three grades. The extent-weight-ed severity scores were calculated using the assigned grades and their number of pixels. This procedure was done automatically and the reversibility and severity scores were produced for each of the coronary territories (LAD, RCA, LCX) or any combination of these. Clinical ap-plication has shown that the changes In reversibility scores after PTCA were correlated linearly with the pre PTCA scores(r>0.8) in postinfarct cases as well as in angina, and severity scores of persistent defects in stress/rest SPECT study matched to the regional ejection fraction and visual analysis of regional wall motion of gated blood pool scan(r>0.6). We conclude that the computerized severity scoring method for the analysis of myocardial SPECT could be useful in the assessment of the myocardial ischemia and fixed defect.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
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• v.34 no.5
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• pp.381-392
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• 2000

Purpose: We compared the reproducibility of $^{201}Tl\;and\;^{99m}Tc$-sestamibi (MIBI) gated SPECT measurement of myocardial function using the Germano algorithm Materials and Methods: Gated SPECT acquisition was repeated in the same position in 30 patients who received $^{201}Tl$ and in 26 who received $^{99m}Tc$-MIBI. The quantification of end-diastolic volume (EDV), end-systolic volume (ESV), and ejection fraction (EF) on $^{201}Tl\;and\;^{99m}Tc$-MIBI gated SPECT was processed independently using Cedars quantitative gated SPECT software. The reproducibility of the assessment of myocardial function on $^{201}Tl$ gated SPECT was compared with that of $^{99m}Tc$-MIBI gated SPECT Results: Correlation between the two measurements for volumes and EF was excellent by the repeated gated SPECT studies of $^{201}Tl$ (r=0.928 to 0.986; p<0.05) and $^{99m}Tc$-MIBI (r=0.979 to 0.997; p<0.05). However, Bland Altman analysis revealed the 95% limits of agreement (2 SD) for volumes and EF were tighter by repeated $^{99m}Tc$-MIBI gated SPECT (EDV: 14.1 ml, ESV: 9.4 ml and EF: 5.5%) than by repeated $^{201}Tl$ gated SPECT (EDV: 24.1 ml, ESV: 18.6 ml and EF: 10.3%). The root mean square (RMS) values of the coefficient of variation (CV) for volumes und EFs were smaller by repeated $^{99m}Tc$-MIBI gated SPECT (EDV: 2.1 ml, ESV 2.7 ml and EF: 2.3%) than by repeated $^{201}Tl$ gated SPECT (EDV: 3.2 ml, ESV: 3.5 ml and EF: 5.2%). Conclusion: $^{99m}Tc$-MIBI provides more reproducible volumes and EF than $^{201}Tl$ on repeated acquisition gated SPECT. $^{99m}Tc$-MIBI gated SPECT is the preferable method for the clinical monitoring of myocardial function.

• 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.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.231-238
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• 1995

Tc-99m-MIBI (Sestamibi) myocardial SPECT along with TI-201 tomographic Imaging has demonstrated wide application and high image quality sufficient for the diagnosis of myocardial perfusion defect, which consequently reflects regional myocardial blood flow. The qualitative values of myocardial SPECT with Tc-99m-MIBI as well ds the quantitative cases depend in some degree on the reconstruction techniques of multiple projections. Filtered backprojection (FBP) Is the common standard method for reconstruction rather than the complicated and time-consuming arithmetic methods. In FBP it is known that the distribution of radioactivity in reconstructed transverse slices varies with the selected litter parameters such as cutoff frequencies and order (Butterworth case) The cutoff frequencies used in clinicAl practice partially remove and decrease the true radioactive distribution and alter the pixel counts, which lead to underestimation of true counts in specific myocardial regions. In this study, we have investigated the effect of cutoff frequencies of reconstruction filter on the artifactually induced perfusion defects, which are often demonstrated near inferior and/or inferoseptal cardiac walls due to the intense hepatic uptake of Tc-99m-MIBI. A computerized method for Identifying the relative degree of artifactual perfusion defect and for comparing those degrees along with the relative amount of hepatic uptake to myocardium was developed and patient images were studied to observe the quantitative degree of underestimation of myocardial perfusion, and to propose some reasonable threshold of cutoff frequency in the diagnosis of perfusion defect quantitatively. We concluded that from the quantitative viewpoint cutoff frequencies may be used as high as possible with the sacrifice of homogeneity of image quality, and those frequencies lower than the common 0.3 Wyquist frequency would reveal severe degradation of radioactive distribution near inferior and/or inferoseptal myocardium when applying Butterworth or low pass filter.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.11 no.6
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• pp.2240-2245
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• 2010

Myocardial imaging in SPECT (Single Photon Emission Computed tomography) scan of the gamma-ray emitting radiopharmaceuticals to patients after intravenous radiopharmaceuticals evenly spread in the heart region of interest by recording changes in the disease caused by a computer using the PSA test is to diagnose. Containing information on the functional myocardial perfusion imaging is a useful way to examine non-invasive heart disease, but the argument by noise and low resolution of the physical landscape that is difficult to give. For this paper, the level of myocardial imaging by using the three algorithms to split the video into 3-D implementation of the partitioned area to help you read the proposed plan. To solve the difficulty of reading level, interest in using the sheet set, partitioned area of the left ventricle was ranked the partitioned area was modeled as a 3-D images.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine Technology
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.33-37
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• 2010

Purpose: In the early stage of using PET/CT, it was used to damper revision but recently shows that CT with MDCT is commonly used and works well for an anatomical diagnosis. This hospital makes the accuracy and convenience more higher in the diagnosis and evaluate of coronary heart disease through concurrently running myocardial perfusion SPECT examination, myocardial PET examination with FDG, and CT coronary artery CT angiography(coronary CTA) used PET/CT with 64-slice. This report shows protocol and image based on results from about 400 coronary heart disease examinations since having 64 channels PET/CT in July 2007. Materials and Methods: An Equipment for this examination is 64-slice CT and Discovery VCT (DVCT) that is consisted of PET with BGO ($Bi_4Ge_3O_{12}$) scintillation crystal by GE health care. First myocardial perfusion SPECT with pharmacologic stress test to reduce waiting time of a patient and get a quick diagnosis and evaluation, and right after it, myocardial FDG PET examination and coronary CTA run without a break. One-stop evaluation protocol of ischemic heart disease is as follows. 1)Myocardial perfusion SPECT with pharmacologic stress: A patient is injected with $^{99m}Tc$-MIBI 10 mCi and does not have any fatty food for myocardial PET examination and drink natural water with ursodeoxcholic acid 100 mg and we get SPECT image in an hour. 2)Myocardial FDG PET: To reduce blood fatty content and to increase uptake of FDG, we used creative oral glucose load using insulin and Acipimox to according to blood acid content. A patient is injected with $^{18}F$-FDG 5 mCi for reduction of his radiation exposure and we get a gated image an hour later and get delay image when we need. 3) Coronary CTA: The most important point is to control heart rate and to get cooperation of patient's breath. In order to reduce a heart rate of him or her below 65 beats, let him or her take beta blocker 50 mg ~ 200 mg after a consultation with a doctor about it and have breath-practices then have the examination. Right before the examination, we spray isosorbide dinitrate 3 to 5 times to lower tension of bessel wall and to extension a blood wall of a patient. It makes to get better the shape of an anatomy. At filming, a patient is injected CT contrast with high pressure and have enough practices before the examination in order to have no problem. For reduction of his radiation exposure, we have to do ECG-triggered X-ray tube modulation exposure. Results: We evaluate coronary artery stenosis through coronary CTA and study correlation (culprit vessel check) of a decline between stenosis and perfusion from the myocardial perfusion SPECT with pharmacologic stress, coronary CTA, and can check viability of infarction or hibernating myocardium by FDG PET. Conclusion: The examination makes us to set up a direction of remedy (drug treatment, PCI, CABG) because we can estimate of effect from remedy, lesion site and severity. In addition, we have an advantage that it takes just 3 hours and one-stop in that all of process of examinations run in succession and at the same time. Therefore it shows that the method is useful in one stop evaluation of ischemic heart disease.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.43-49
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• 1997

We studied to investigate the predictive values of gated SPECT for the improvement of wall motion after bypass surgery. As we compared postoperative SPECT with preoperative ones, we defined viability as wall motion improvement. We peformed rest T1-201/s1ress Tc-99m-MIBI gated SPECT in 25 patients before and 3 months after bypass surgery. Myocardial wall motion was graded as normal, hypokinesia, akinesia, and dyskinesia by pair-wise visual analysis of gated pre and postoperative SPECT's on the same monitor screen. Myocardial wall thickening was determined good or poor Among 92 segments with wall motion abnormalities before operation, 69 (75%) improved and 23 did not. Before operation, we could find segments with good systolic thickening in 64 segments among total 92. Thickening of the remaining 28 was poor. Wall motion improved postoperatively in 45 segments (70%) among 64 with good thickening. Twenty four(86%) among 28 segments with poor thickening had also improved. We grouped segments into mild(hypokinetic) and severe(akinetic/dyskinetic) ones. Among 33 segments with severe motion abnormalities, 14 had good thickening and 19 did not. Nine(60%) improved out of 14 segments having severe abnormality with good thickening However, 16(84%) segments out of 19 haying severe abnormality with poor thickening also improved. Neither degree of perfusion decrease nor severity of wall motion abnormalities could explain the high rate of false negatives. In conclusion, as we defined viability as wall motion improvement by comparing pre and postoperative SPECT, systolic thickening observed by gated Tc-99m-MIBI SPECT in myocardial segments with wall motion abnormalities predicted wall motion improvement after bypass surgery. However, poor thickening could not be referred as evidence of nonviable myocardium both in mild and severe contractile dysfunction, so that we might need stimulation study such as dobutamine echocardiography or dobutamine gated SPECT.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
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• v.36 no.5
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• pp.288-297
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• 2002

Purpose: Soft tissue attenuation and scattering are major methodological limitations of myocardial perfusion SPECT. To overcome these limitations, algorithms for attenuation, scatter correction and resolution recovery (ASCRR) is being developed, while quantitative myocardial SPECT has also become available. In this study, we investigated the efficacy of an ASCRR-corrected quantitative myocardial SPECT method for the diagnosis of coronary artery disease (CAD). Materials and Methods: Seventy-five patients (M:F=51:24, $61.0{\pm}8.9$ years old) suspected of CAD who underwent coronary angiography (CAG) within $7{\pm}12$ days of SPECT(Group-I) and 20 subjects (M:F=10:10, age $40.6{\pm}9.4$) with a low likelihood of coronary artery disease (Group-II) were enrolled. Tl-201 rest/ dipyridamole-stress Tc-99m-MIBI gated myocardial SPECT was performed. ASCRR correction was peformed using a Gd-153 line source and automatic software (Vantage-Pro; ADAC Labs, USA). Using a 20-segment model, segmental perfusion was automatically quantified on both the ASCRR-corrected and uncorrected images using an automatic quantifying software (AutoQUANT; ADAC Labs.). Using these quantified values, CAD was diagnosed in each of the 3 coronary arterial territories. The diagnostic performance of ASCRR-corrected SPECT was compared with that of non-corrected SPECT. Results: Among the 75 patients of Group-I, 9 patients had normal CAG while the remaining 66 patients had 155 arterial lesions; 61 left anterior descending (LAD), 48 left circumflex (LCX) and 46 right coronary (RCA) arterial lesions. For the LAD and LCX lesions, there was no significant difference in diagnostic performance. In Group-II patients, the overall normalcy rate improved but this improvement was not statistically significant (p=0.07). However, for RCA lesions, specificity improved significantly but sensitivity worsened significantly with ASCRR correction (both p<0.05). Overall accuracy was the same. Conclusion: The ASCRR correction did not improve diagnostic performance significantly although the diagnostic specificity for RCA lesions improved on quantitative myocardial SPECT. The clinical application of the ASC-RR correction requires more discretion regarding cost and efficacy.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.152-160
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• 2001

Purpose: We tried to establish the reproducibility of the measurement of maximal elastance (Emax) and to compare the degree of the reproducibility of two estimation methods: single pressure-volume loop method and parameter optimization method. Materials and methods: In 47 patients (42 males and 5 females, $53{\pm}10$ years old) with suspected coronary artery disease (election fraction; 22-68%), gated Tc-99m MIBI myocardial SPECT and arterial tonometry were acquired. In 11 patients among these 47 patients, gated SPECT and tonometry were performed twice consecutively with patients in situ. Emax and void volume (Vo) were estimated using single pressure-volume loop method of Lee and parameter optimization method based on linear approximation of Yoshizawa. Correlation between the consecutive measurements by each method and correlation between the two estimation methods were compared. Results: Reproducibility of Emax (r=0.96) and Vo (r=0.99) by single pressure-volume method was better than the reproducibility of Emax (r=0.89) and Vo (r=0.64) by parameter optimization method. Correlations of Emax and Vo were fair between the two methods. The correlation of Emax (r=0.77) was better than that of Vo (r=0.55). Conclusion: Reproducibility of Emax measurement by single pressure-volume loop method using gated myocardial SPECT and arterial tonometry was excellent. Reproducibility by parameter optimization method was also fair but was less than that achieved by single pressure-volume method.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.478-483
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• 1995

We compared the influences of reconstruction methods using $180^{\circ}$ or $360^{\circ}$ data upon contrasts and discriminating capability and diagnostic accuracy in $^{99m}Tc-MIBI$ stress/rest myocardial SPECT. We reviewed SPECT images reconstructed only with $180^{\circ}$ projection data or with $360^{\circ}$ data in 18 patients and in 11 normal subjects. To compare counts of surface structures and deep structures, we measured ape# posterior wall ratios in 11 normal subjects. To compare the contrasts of images, we measured apex/ventricle ratios. To compare contrasts between normal and diseased myocardial segments, we measured count ratios of defect and normal segments in 4 patients who had single coronary artery diseases. To compare diagnostic accuracy, we scored SPECT images made with $180^{\circ}$ and $360^{\circ}$ data segmentally. Sensitivity and specificity for the diagnosis of coronary artery disease and for the revelation of diseased arteries with both $180^{\circ}$ and $360^{\circ}$ SPECT images. If involved coronary arteries had more narrowing than 50% In coronary angiogram, we considered them as diseased arteries Apex/posterior wall ratios were not different significantly in normal subjects. Apex/ ventricle ratios in normal subjects were different significantly between $180^{\circ}$ and $360^{\circ}$ SPECT images. Defect/normal ratios were different significantly between $180^{\circ}$ and $360^{\circ}$ SPECT images in single vessel disease patients. The overall diagnostic accurracy was the same between $180^{\circ}$ and $360^{\circ}$ data collection. Sensitivity was 94% and specificity was 91% for both types of data collection in this sample population. Sensitivity and specificity of each coronary artery territory were not significantly different between the images made with $180^{\circ}$ and $360^{\circ}$ data. The images made with $180^{\circ}$ data had better contrast between ventricle and myocardium and between hypoperfused and normal myocardium, though no difference was found between the ratios of the myocardial counts of surface and deep structures. However, diagnostic sensitivities of diseased artery territories were not different significantly and so were overall diagnostic accuracy between both methods of making images with $180^{\circ}$ and $360^{\circ}$ data.