Influence of attenuation correction on transient left ventricular dilation in dual isotope myocardial perfusion imaging in patients with known or suspected coronary artery disease

The aim of this study was to assess the effect of attenuation correction (AC) on left ventricular (LV) volumes and LV transient ischemic dilatation (TID) during dual-isotope single-photon emission computer tomographic (SPECT) myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI). Ninety-six patients (mean age 58 ± 11 years, 15% women, 38 patients completed exercise and 58 dipyridamole pharmacologic stress tests) assessed for known or suspected coronary artery disease underwent dual-isotope thallium-201 rest and technetium-99m sestamibi stress SPECT MPI with computed tomography-based AC. The TID ratio was calculated separately for non-AC and AC SPECT MPI studies as the ratio of the LV endocardial volume at stress divided by LV endocardial volume at rest. The mean and range of the gated LV ejection fraction during exercise and pharmacologic stress was 54 ± 12% (29% to 80%) and 58 ± 12% (27% to 80%), respectively. In the exercise stress group, the same mean LV endocardial volumes in non-AC and AC stress (76.4 ± 30 and 76.5 ± 28) and rest (66.3 ± 26 and 66.4 ± 24) studies were found (p = 0.90). There was no statistical difference between the mean exercise TID ratio in non-AC and AC studies (1.27 vs 1.31, respectively, p = 0.10). The same mean LV endocardial volumes in non-AC and AC in pharmacologic stress (79.9 ± 42 and 80 ± 41) and rest (71.4 ± 41 and 72.3 ± 37), respectively, were found (p = 0.50). There was no statistical difference between the mean dipyridamole TID ratio in non-AC and AC studies (1.20 vs 1.17, respectively, p = 0.10). In conclusion, LV volumes and TID indexes obtained on SPECT MPI with exercise or pharmacologic stress using dipyridamole are not affected by AC.