Usefulness of biventricular pacing to improve cardiac symptoms, exercise capacity and sympathetic nerve activity in patients with moderate to severe chronic heart failure.

Background: Although cardiac resynchronization using biventricular pacing (BVP) results in significant clinical improvement in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF), there is no evidence of improvement in sympathetic nerve activity (SNA).

Methods And Results: Eighteen patients with CHF (dilated cardiomyopathy/ischemic cardiomyopathy =14/4) and left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction <40%, QRS duration >160 ms and dyssynchronous LV wall motion were classified into 2 groups based on the findings of (99m)Tc-methoxyisobutyl isonitrile (MIBI) quantitative gated single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) (QGS). Resynchronization was considered to be present when the difference between the QGS frame number for end-systole for the LV septal and lateral walls (dyssynchrony index) disappeared.

Prediction of functional improvement of ischemic myocardium with (123I-BMIPP SPECT and 99mTc-tetrofosmin SPECT imaging: a study of patients with large acute myocardial infarction and receiving revascularization therapy.

Background: (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron-emission tomography (PET) is assumed to be the most useful method of evaluating the viability of the myocardium, but its use is limited by the need for a cyclotron. In the present study, the ability of a combination of (99m)Tc-tetrofosmin (TF) and (123)I-beta-methyliodophenyl pentadecanoic acid (BMIPP) single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), a combination of (18)F-FDG PET and (123)I-BMIPP SPECT, and a combination of (18)F-FDG PET and (99m)Tc-TF SPECT were compared to predict functional improvement of ischemic myocardium after a large acute myocardial infarction (AMI).

Methods And Results: Ten patients with large AMI were studied by (99m)Tc-TF SPECT, (123)I-BMIPP SPECT and (18)F-FDG PET within 3 weeks.

Evaluation of myocardial viability following acute myocardial infarction using 201Tl SPECT after thallium-glucose-insulin infusion--comparison with 18F-FDG positron emission tomography.

Objective And Methods: The aim of this study was to evaluate myocardial viability in patients after acute myocardial infarction (AMI). We compared 201Tl SPECT after 201Tl with GIK (10% glucose 250 ml, insulin 5 U and KCl 10 mEq) infusion (GIK-201Tl) with resting 201Tl and 99mTc-pyrophosphate (PYP) dual SPECT, positron emission computed tomography (PET) using 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) in 21 patients with their first AMI, who all underwent successful reperfusion. GIK-201Tl SPECT, 201Tl and 99mTc-PYP dual SPECT were done within 10 days after admission and 18F-FDG-PET was performed at 3 weeks.