Usefulness of123I-metaiodobenzylguanidine myocardial scintigraphy in the prediction of cardiac events in patients with cardiomyopathy showing stabilization of symptoms or preserved cardiac function

Molecular imaging in heart failure patients

This review focuses on molecular imaging using various radioligands for the tissue characterization of patients with heart failure. ¹²³I-labeled metaiodobenzylguanidine (MIBG), as a marker of adrenergic neuron function, plays an important role in risk stratification in heart failure and may be useful for predicting fatal arrhythmias that may require implantable cardioverter-defibrillator treatment. MIBG has also been used for monitoring treatment effects under various medications. Various positron emission tomography (PET) radioligands have been introduced for the quantitative assessment of presynaptic and postsynaptic neuronal function in vivo. ¹¹C-hydroxyephedrine, like MIBG, has potential for assessing the severity of heart failure. Our PET study using the β-receptor antagonist ¹¹C-CGP 12177 in patients with heart failure showed a reduction of β-receptor density, indicating downregulation, in most of the patients. More studies are needed to confirm the clinical utility of these molecular imaging modalities for the management of heart failure patients.

Influence of ejection fraction on the prognostic value of sympathetic innervation imaging with iodine-123 MIBG in heart failure

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this study was to determine whether left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) influences the relationship between abnormal myocardial sympathetic innervation imaging by iodine 123 meta-iodobenzylguanidine ((123)I-mIBG) and outcomes in patients with heart failure (HF).

BACKGROUND

In systolic HF, both abnormal (123)I-mIBG imaging and reduced LVEF are associated with higher risk of cardiovascular events. Whether (123)I-mIBG imaging has the same predictive value across the LVEF spectrum is unclear.

METHODS

Among 985 patients in the ADMIRE-HF (AdreView Myocardial Imaging for Risk Evaluation in Heart Failure) trial with New York Heart Association functional class II or III HF and site-reported LVEF ≤35%, the core laboratory-determined LVEFs were available for 901 subjects, ranging from 20% to 58% (mean LVEF 34 ± 7%), and was >35% in 386 subjects.

RESULTS

The mean age of the study population was 62 ± 12 years, 80% were male, and the majority had New York Heart Association functional class II symptoms and HF of nonischemic etiology. At all levels of LVEF, the (123)I-mIBG heart-to-mediastinum ratio of <1.6 was associated with a higher risk of death or potentially lethal arrhythmic event and of the composite of cardiovascular death, arrhythmic event, and HF progression. Comparing subjects with LVEF ≤35% and >35%, there was no evidence of effect modification of LVEF on the risk associated with low heart-to-mediastinum ratio for death or arrhythmic event (adjusted hazard ratio: 2.39 [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.03 to 5.55] vs. 5.28 [95% CI: 1.21 to 23.02]; interaction p = 0.48) and for the composite (adjusted hazard ratio: 1.80 [95% CI: 1.01 to 3.23] vs. 2.41 [95% CI: 1.11 to 5.23]; interaction; p = 0.86). For death or arrhythmic event, the heart-to-mediastinum ratio appeared to improve the risk discrimination beyond clinical and biomarker data among both LVEF groups, with improvement in the model C-statistic (0.67 vs. 0.69, p = 0.03) and integrated discrimination improvement (p = 0.0008).

CONCLUSIONS

(123)I-mIBG imaging has prognostic value across a spectrum of LVEFs. Further studies may be warranted to prospectively test the prognostic value of (123)I-mIBG imaging in patients with HF and an LVEF >35%.

Novel iodinated tracers, MIBG and BMIPP, for nuclear cardiology

With the rapid growth of molecular biology, in vivo imaging of such molecular process (i.e., molecular imaging) has been well developed. The molecular imaging has been focused on justifying advanced treatments and for assessing the treatment effects. Most of molecular imaging has been developed using PET camera and suitable PET radiopharmaceuticals. However, this technique cannot be widely available and we need alternative approach. ¹²³I-labeled compounds have been also suitable for molecular imaging using single-photon computed tomography (SPECT) ¹²³I-labeled meta-iodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) has been used for assessing severity of heart failure and prognosis. In addition, it has a potential role to predict fatal arrhythmia, particularly for those who had and are planned to receive implantable cardioverter-defibrillator treatment. ¹²³I-beta-methyl-iodophenylpentadecanoic acid (BMIPP) plays an important role for identifying ischemia at rest, based on the unique capability to represent persistent metabolic alteration after recovery of ischemia, so called ischemic memory. Since BMIPP abnormalities may represent severe ischemia or jeopardized myocardium, it may permit risk analysis in CAD patients, particularly for those with chronic kidney disease and/or hemodialysis patients. This review will discuss about recent development of these important iodinated compounds.

Determination of the survival rate in patients with congestive heart failure stratified by ¹²³I-MIBG imaging: a meta-analysis from the studies performed in Japan

BACKGROUND

The goals of this meta-analysis were to determine survival rates in patients with heart failure (HF) assessed by ¹²³I-MIBG imaging results using recently published studies and to determine the prognostic value of ¹²³I-MIBG imaging.

METHODS

We reviewed published cohort studies carried out in Japan that compared the prognosis of patients with their ¹²³I-MIBG activity quantified as late heart-to-mediastinum ratio (H/M) or washout rate by performing a PubMed search for articles in English up to December 2006. Studies were selected if they analyzed a clearly defined lethal outcome (cardiovascular death) using life tables to estimate the odds ratio at 24 months after enrollment.

RESULTS

Of 158 articles related to cardiac ¹²³I-MIBG, seven referred to studies that met the inclusion criteria: 5 evaluated H/M via ¹²³I-MIBG in a total of 866 patients and 4 calculated washout rate in a total of 491 patients. A low H/M indicated a high risk of cardiac death: pooled odds ratio, 5.2; 95% confidence interval (CI) of 3.1-5.7. A high washout was also associated with lethal events with a pooled odds ratio of 2.8 (CI: 1.6-5.0). The association between washout and cardiac death was heterogeneous (Chi-square = 11.0, P < 0.02), whereas that between late H/M and fatal events was homogeneous (Chi-square = 2.3, P = no significance).

CONCLUSION

This meta-analysis of published studies of ¹²³I-MIBG studies conducted in Japan indicated that both a decreased cardiac ¹²³I-MIBG activity (H/M) and an increased washout rate are indicative of a poor prognosis in patients with chronic heart failure.

Prognostic value of myocardial 123I-metaiodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) parameters in patients with heart failure: a systematic review

AIMS

To derive a more precise estimate of the prognostic significance of myocardial 123I-metaiodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) parameters [early heart mediastinal ratio (H/M), late H/M, and myocardial washout] in heart failure (HF).

METHODS AND RESULTS

Eighteen studies with a total of 1755 patients, stratifying survival, and cardiac events in patients with HF by MIBG, were eligible for analysis. The pooled hazard ratio (HR) estimates for cardiac death and cardiac events associated with washout showed no significant heterogeneity and were 1.72 [95%CI (confidence interval), 1.72-2.52; P = 0.006] and 1.08 (95%CI: 1.03-1.12; P < 0.001), respectively. The pooled HR estimates for cardiac death and cardiac events associated with early H/M and late H/M showed significant heterogeneity (I2 > or = 75%). Limiting the pooling to the qualitative best three studies rendered I2 insignificant (I2 = 0) and resulted in a pooled HR of late H/M for cardiac death of 1.82 (95%CI: 0.80-4.12; P = 0.15) and for cardiac events of 1.98 (95%CI: 1.57-2.50; P < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

Our results indicate that patients with HF and decreased late H/M or increased myocardial MIBG washout have a worse prognosis compared with those with normal semi-quantitative myocardial MIBG parameters.