The Applicability of the American College of Cardiology Appropriate Use Criteria for Myocardial Perfusion Scintigraphy in Australia.

Background: The American College of Cardiology (ACC) Appropriate Use Criteria (AUC) for radionuclide myocardial perfusion scans (MPS) was developed to promote its rational use in the assessment of stable ischaemic heart disease (IHD). We sought to validate the applicability of this document in the Australian context.

Methods: 1009 consecutive patients who underwent MPS were retrospectively audited at a single major metropolitan hospital in Victoria, Australia.

Portosystemic shunting in superior vena cava obstruction by tumor demonstrated on ventilation-perfusion lung scan.

Extrapulmonary deposition of macroaggregated albumin particles on lung perfusion scintigraphy occurs in the presence of right-to-left shunting, as demonstrated in this case of portosystemic shunting related to superior vena cava obstruction by germ cell tumor of the mediastinum. The case demonstrates the importance of examining tracer deposition within the entire field of view on (99m)Tc-macroaggregated albumin perfusion lung scintigraphy for extrapulmonary findings.

Native Aortic and Prosthetic Vascular Stent Infection on 99mTc-Labeled White Blood Cell Scintigraphy.

The value of (99m)Tc-labeled white blood cell scintigraphy for endovascular prosthetic infections is well known. In the unique case reported here, infection of the native aorta was detected in addition to an infected vascular prosthesis. The case demonstrates that (99m)Tc-labeled white blood cell scintigraphy can identify not only the more usual prosthetic stent/graft infection but also infection of the native aorta.

Noninvasive assessment myocardial viability: current status and future directions.

Observations of reversibility of cardiac contractile dysfunction in patients with coronary artery disease and ischemia were first made more than 40 years ago. Since that time a wealth of basic science and clinical data has been gathered exploring the mechanisms of this phenomenon of myocardial viability and relevance to clinical care of patients. Advances in cardiac imaging techniques have contributed greatly to knowledge in the area, first with thallium-201 imaging, then later with Tc-99m-based tracers for SPECT imaging and metabolic tracers used in conjunction with positron emission tomography (PET), most commonly F-18 FDG in conjunction with blood flow imaging with N-13 ammonia or Rb-82 Cl.

Scintigraphic features of Morquio's syndrome: a case report.

Introduction: To the best of our knowledge, we present for the first time the bone scintigraphy findings of a patient with Morquio's syndrome.

Case Presentation: A 46-year-old Caucasian man with Morquio's syndrome presented with lower back pain six weeks after a left total hip replacement. A whole body bone scan demonstrated an anthropomorphic skeletal pattern consistent with a mucopolysaccharide storage disease, thereby showing the cause of the patient's pain.

Resolution of hepatopulmonary syndrome after methadone withdrawal as demonstrated by right to left shunt study.

We present the right to left shunt study findings of a 50-year-old male patient with hepatitis C cirrhosis, who complained of worsening dyspnea on exertion. Follow-up images showed resolution of hepatopulmonary syndrome following methadone withdrawal although there had been no improvement in his liver disease. This was unusual and may have been due to the effect of opiate receptors on nitric oxide signaling in the pulmonary vasculature.

Hepatobiliary scintigraphy in vasculitis of the gallbladder as a manifestation of polyarteritis nodosa: a case report.

Introduction: Polyarteritis nodosa can on rare occasions manifest itself as vasculitis of the gallbladder. Patients typically present with right upper quadrant pain and are initially worked up for cholecystitis. The definitive diagnosis is then usually based on surgical and histopathological findings.

Assessing the need for nuclear cardiology and other advanced cardiac imaging modalities in the developing world.

Background: In 2005, 80% of cardiovascular disease (CVD) deaths occurred in low- to middle-income countries (i.e., developing nations).

Atrial and ventricular echocardiographic correlates of the extent of pulmonary embolism in the elderly.

Background: Acute pulmonary thromboembolism (PTE) can be associated with right ventricular (RV) dysfunction. The relative importance of individual echocardiographic parameters, including those suggesting interdependence between right and left heart chambers, in predicting thromboembolic burden in elderly patients with acute PTE is unknown.

Methods: We retrospectively studied the transthoracic echocardiograms of 63 elderly patients (age 71 +/- 16 years) with acute PTE, and assessed which individual echocardiographic parameters identified more than 30% pulmonary artery obstruction on the basis of quantitative ventilation/perfusion pulmonary scintigraphy.

The role of left ventricular hypertrophy and diabetes in the presence of transient ischemic dilation of the left ventricle on myocardial perfusion SPECT images.

Unlabelled: Transient ischemic dilation of the left ventricle found on SPECT myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) is an accepted marker of severe and extensive coronary artery disease (CAD) and poor prognosis. The influence of other clinical variables on the incidence of transient ischemic dilation is less certain. The aim of this study was to investigate clinical factors that may influence the incidence of transient ischemic dilation.

Myocardial viability testing and impact of revascularization on prognosis in patients with coronary artery disease and left ventricular dysfunction: a meta-analysis.

Objectives: This study pools data from published series examining late survival with revascularization versus medical therapy after myocardial viability testing in patients with severe coronary artery disease (CAD) and left ventricular (LV) dysfunction.

Background: Previous observational studies have suggested survival benefit in such patients if they are revascularized when myocardial viability is detected on imaging tests.

Methods: A MEDLINE database search returned 24 viability studies reporting patient survival using thallium perfusion imaging, F-18 fluorodeoxyglucose metabolic imaging or dobutamine echocardiography.