Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins, Nuclear Medicine Communications, 5(33), p. 491-497, 2012
DOI: 10.1097/mnm.0b013e328350855a
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BACKGROUND: The abnormal left ventricular activation pattern in patients with a left bundle-branch block (LBBB) frequently induces myocardial perfusion defects, decreasing the specificity of noninvasive coronary-risk stratification with stress testing. We assessed the diagnostic and prognostic impact of gated single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) in low-risk patients with LBBB. METHODS: A total of 114 patients underwent dual-day protocol Tc-99m sestamibi gated SPECT and were divided into two subsets: without LBBB (group 1, n = 57) and with LBBB (group 2, n = 57). Sixty-eight (60%) patients had negative coronary angiography and 46 (40%) were at a low risk for coronary artery disease. The variables incorporating the extent and severity of perfusion defects were calculated: summed stress score, summed rest score and summed difference score, end-diastolic volume (EDV), end-systolic volume (ESV), and left ventricular ejection fraction. The mean variations in EDV and ESV were computed as follows: rest volume-poststress volume. Cardiac events were classified as major and minor. RESULTS: Gated SPECT was positive in eight (14%) patients of group 1 and 33 (58%) patients of group 2 (P