Diagnostic value of PET-measured heterogeneity in myocardial blood flows during cold pressor testing for the identification of coronary vasomotor dysfunction.

Background: We aimed to evaluate the diagnostic value of a positron emission tomography (PET)-measured heterogeneity in longitudinal myocardial blood flow (MBF) during cold pressor testing (CPT) and global MBF response to CPT from rest (DeltaMBF) for identification of coronary vasomotor dysfunction.

Methods And Results: In 35 patients CPT-induced alterations in epicardial luminal area were determined with quantitative angiography as the reference. MBF was assessed over the whole left ventricle as global MBF and regionally in the mid and mid-distal myocardium as MBF difference or MBF heterogeneity with nitrogen-13 ammonia and PET.

Positron emission tomography-measured abnormal responses of myocardial blood flow to sympathetic stimulation are associated with the risk of developing cardiovascular events.

Objectives: We sought to assess prospectively whether patients with normal coronary angiograms but with impaired myocardial blood flow (MBF) increases to cold pressor testing (CPT) are at increased risk for cardiovascular events.

Background: Invasive angiographic assessments of coronary vasomotor function have demonstrated an impairment of endothelium-related coronary flow increases to independently predict future cardiovascular events. It is unknown whether noninvasive positron emission tomography (PET)-measured MBF alterations to sympathetic stimulation with CPT are associated with the risk of developing cardiovascular events.

Chronic inflammation and impaired coronary vasoreactivity in patients with coronary risk factors.

Background: The goal of this study was to examine a possible association between systemic microinflammation, as reflected by C-reactive protein (CRP) serum levels, and coronary vasomotion in patients with coronary risk factors but with angiographically normal coronary arteries.

Methods And Results: Coronary vasomotor function was studied in response to cold pressor testing (CPT) in 71 patients with normal angiograms. In all patients, CPT-induced changes in epicardial luminal area (LA; mm2) were assessed with quantitative angiography.

Myocardial viability in patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy-evaluation by 3-D integration of myocardial scintigraphic data--and coronary angiographic data.

Purpose: To determine the prevalence of viable myocardium in patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy and, to evaluate the value of three-dimensional (3-D) fusion imaging of myocardial scintigraphic and angiographic data to assign coronary artery lesions to the corresponding viable and nonviable myocardial territory.

Procedures: In 105 patients, the combination of perfusion and metabolic imaging with (201)thallium ((201)TI) single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and 2-deoxy-2-[(18)F]fluoro-D-glucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) determined viability in dysfunctional myocardium. In addition, the value of 3-D scintigraphic fusion imaging was assessed in these patients.

PET-measured responses of MBF to cold pressor testing correlate with indices of coronary vasomotion on quantitative coronary angiography.

Unlabelled: The aims of this study were to determine whether responses in myocardial blood flow (MBF) to the cold pressor testing (CPT) method noninvasively with PET correlate with an established and validated index of flow-dependent coronary vasomotion on quantitative angiography.

Methods: Fifty-six patients (57 +/- 6 y; 16 with hypertension, 10 with hypercholesterolemia, 8 smokers, and 22 without coronary risk factors) with normal coronary angiograms were studied. Biplanar end-diastolic images of a selected proximal segment of the left anterior descending artery (LAD) (n = 27) or left circumflex artery (LCx) (n = 29) were evaluated with quantitative coronary angiography in order to determine the CPT-induced changes of epicardial luminal area (LA, mm(2)).