Future aspects of BMIPP

Practice recommendation for measuring washout rates in 123I-BMIPP fatty acid images

The purpose of this practice recommendation is to specifically identify the critical steps involved in performing and interpreting 123I-β-methyl-iodophenyl-pentadecanoic acid (BMIPP) single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and measurement of washout rate (WR) from the heart. This document will cover backgrounds, patient preparation, testing procedure, visual image interpretation, quantitation methods using planar and SPECT studies, and reporting of WR. The pitfall and some tips for the calculation of 123I-BMIPP WR are also included. The targets of global and regional WR calculation include ischemic heart disease, cardiomyopathy, heart failure, and triglyceride deposit cardiomyovasculopathy, an emerging rare heart disease.

Practice Recommendation for Measuring Washout Rates in 123I-BMIPP Fatty Acid Images

The purpose of this practice recommendation is to specifically identify the critical steps involved in performing and interpreting 123I-β-methyl-iodophenyl-pentadecanoic acid (BMIPP) single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and measurement of washout rate (WR) from the heart. This document will cover backgrounds, patient preparation, testing procedure, visual image interpretation, quantitation methods using planar and SPECT studies, and reporting of WR. The pitfall and some tips for the calculation of 123I-BMIPP WR are also included. The targets of global and regional WR calculation include ischemic heart disease, cardiomyopathy, heart failure, and triglyceride deposit cardiomyovasculopathy, an emerging rare heart disease.

Retrospective determination of the area at risk for reperfused acute myocardial infarction with T2-weighted cardiac magnetic resonance imaging: histopathological and displacement encoding with stimulated echoes (DENSE) functional validations

BACKGROUND

The aim of this study was to determine whether edema imaging by T2-weighted cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging could retrospectively delineate the area at risk in reperfused myocardial infarction. We hypothesized that the size of the area at risk during a transient occlusion would be similar to the T2-weighted hyperintense region observed 2 days later, that the T2-weighted hyperintense myocardium would show partial functional recovery after 2 months, and that the T2 abnormality would resolve over 2 months.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Seventeen dogs underwent a 90-minute coronary artery occlusion, followed by reperfusion. The area at risk, as measured with microspheres (9 animals), was comparable to the size of the hyperintense zone on T2-weighted images 2 days later (43.4+/-3.3% versus 43.0+/-3.4% of the left ventricle; P=NS), and the 2 measures correlated (R=0.84). The infarcted zone was significantly smaller (23.1+/-3.7; both P<0.001). To test whether the hyperintense myocardium would exhibit partial functional recovery over time, 8 animals were imaged on day 2 and 2 months later. Systolic strain was mapped with displacement encoding with stimulated echoes. Edema, as detected by a hyperintense zone on T2-weighted images, resolved, and regional radial systolic strain partially improved from 4.9+/-0.7 to 13.1+/-1.5 (P=0.001) over 2 months.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings are consistent with the premise that the T2 abnormality depicts the area at risk, a zone of reversibly and irreversibly injured myocardium associated with reperfused subendocardial infarctions. The persistence of postischemic edema allows T2-weighted CMR to delineate the area at risk 2 days after reperfused myocardial infarction.

Assessment of myocardial viability

The prevalence of left ventricular (LV) dysfunction and resultant congestive heart failure is increasing. Patients with this condition are at high risk for cardiac death and usually have significant limitations in their lifestyles. Although there have been advances in medical therapy resulting in improved survival and well being, the best and most definitive therapy, when appropriate, is revascularization. In the setting of coronary artery disease, accounting for approximately two thirds of cases of congestive heart failure, LV dysfunction often is not the result of irreversible scar but rather caused by impairment in function and energy use of still viable-myocytes, with the opportunity for improved function if coronary blood flow is restored. Patients with LV dysfunction who have viable myocardium are the patients at highest risk because of the potential for ischemia but at the same time benefit most from revascularization. It is important to identify viable myocardium in these patients, and radionuclide myocardial scintigraphy is an excellent tool for this. Single-photon emission computed tomography perfusion scintigraphy, whether using thallium-201, Tc-99m sestamibi, or Tc-99m tetrofosmin, in stress and/or rest protocols, has consistently been shown to be an effective modality for identifying myocardial viability and guiding appropriate management. Metabolic imaging with positron emission tomography radiotracers frequently adds additional information and is a powerful tool for predicting which patients will have an improved outcome from revascularization, including some patients referred instead for cardiac transplantation. Other noninvasive modalities, such as stress echocardiography, also facilitate the assessment of myocardial viability, but there are advantages and disadvantages compared with the nuclear techniques. Nuclear imaging appears to require fewer viable cells for detection, resulting in a higher sensitivity but a lower specificity than stress echocardiography for predicting post-revascularization improvement of ventricular function. Nevertheless, it appears that LV functional improvement may not always be necessary for clinical improvement. Future directions include use of magnetic resonance imaging, as well as larger, multicenter trials of radionuclide techniques. The increasing population of patients with LV dysfunction, and the increased benefit afforded by newer therapies, will make assessment of myocardial viability even more essential for proper patient management.

Ischemic "memory image" in acute myocardial infarction of 123I-BMIPP after reperfusion therapy: a comparison with 99mTc-pyrophosphate and 201Tl dual-isotope SPECT

Ischemic "memory image" is a phenomenon of 123I-15-(p-iodophenyl)-3-(R,S)-methylpentadecanoic acid (BMIPP) in which an area at risk of acute myocardial infarction (AMI), could be detected as a defect in a couple of weeks even after successful reperfusion therapy. The purpose of this study was to clarify the incidence of the ischemic "memory image" of 123I-BMIPP in patients with AMI by comparing 99mTc-PYP and 201Tl dual-isotope SPECT. Materials consisted of 14 patients with successfully reperfused AMI and 20 patients with old myocardial infarction (OMI). All AMI patients underwent PYP/Tl dual-isotope SPECT within 1 week after the onset of AMI, and BMIPP SPECT was performed within 1 week after the PYP/Tl dual-isotope SPECT. The extent and severity of the defect of BMIPP and Tl were visually scored into four grades: 0 = no defect to 3 = large or severe defect. These scores were compared. PYP positive AMI lesions were concordant with BMIPP defects (13/14). In AMI, both the extent and severity scores of BMIPP were higher than 201Tl (p < 0.001). Differences (BMIPP - Tl) of extent and severity scores were greater in AMI than in OMI (p < 0.001). In conclusion, the ischemic "memory image" obtained by means of the BMIPP is a common phenomenon (13/14) in AMI, and helpful in evaluating the area at risk.