Cited 7 times since 2005 (0.4 per year) source: EuropePMC European journal of nuclear medicine and molecular imaging, Volume 32, Issue 9, 30 5 2005, Pages 1057-1063 Incremental prognostic value of dobutamine-atropine stress 99mTc-tetrofosmin myocardial perfusion imaging for predicting outcome in diabetic patients with limited exercise capacity. Pedone C, Schinkel AF, Elhendy A, van Domburg RT, Valkema R, Biagini E, Simoons ML, Bax JJ, Poldermans D
Purpose
This study assessed the incremental value of dobutamine stress ( 99m)Tc-tetrofosmin single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) for the prediction of cardiac events in diabetic patients with limited exercise capacity.
Methods
The study population comprised 125 consecutive diabetic patients (mean age 61+/-9 years, 61% men) who were unable to perform an exercise test and underwent dobutamine ( 99m)Tc-tetrofosmin SPECT. Follow-up was successful in 124 (99%) patients. Three patients who underwent early revascularisation (within 60 days) were excluded. End-points during follow-up were cardiac death and non-fatal myocardial infarction.
Results
An abnormal scan (with the presence of reversible or fixed perfusion defects) was observed in 76 (63%) patients. During the follow-up (3.4+/-1.5 years), 36 patients died (19 cardiac deaths) and four patients had non-fatal myocardial infarction. Cardiac death occurred in one of 49 (2%) patients with a normal myocardial perfusion study and in 18 of 75 (24%) patients with an abnormal study (p<0.001). Abnormal scan was incremental to the clinical parameters in predicting cardiac death (chi(2)=48 vs 39, p<0.05) and hard cardiac events (chi(2)=50 vs 43, p<0.05).
Conclusion
Dobutamine stress ( 99m)Tc-tetrofosmin SPECT provides prognostic information additional to clinical data for the prediction of cardiac death and hard cardiac events in diabetic patients unable to perform an exercise test.
