Dipyridamole thallium-201 scintigraphy for early risk stratification of patients after uncomplicated myocardial infarction

Joe Hung, M. Moshiri, G.N. Groom, A.A. Van Der Schaaf, R.W. Parsons, M.E. Hands

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3 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Objective-To determine the safety and prognostic value of dipyridamole thallium-201 scintigraphy performed in patients within three to five days of acute myocardial infarction, including those receiving thrombolytic treatment.Design-A prospective study of dipyridamole thallium-201 scintigraphy in patients early after acute myocardial infarction.Setting-University hospital.Patients-200 patients who were clinically uncomplicated at day 3 after infarction, 92 (46%) of whom had received thrombolysis.Main outcome measures-Incidence of cardiac death, non-fatal reinfarction, readmission to hospital for unstable angina, or non-elective revascularisation procedure within six months' follow up.Results-No patient had a serious complication from the dipyridamole study. At six month follow up, 55 patients (28%) had suffered a defined cardiac event. Patients who received thrombolysis had the same extent of thallium-201 redistribution and the same occurrence of subsequent cardiac events as those not receiving thrombolysis. Patients who subsequently had an event had more myocardial segments showing thallium-201 redistribution than event free patients: 2.7 (SD 1.9) v 1.2 (1.4), respectively (p <0.001). Among all clinical and scintigraphic variables, multivariate analysis identified the extent of thallium-201 redistribution as the only independent predictor of outcome (p <0.001). Among 63 patients (32%) of the study cohort who showed more than two myocardial segments with thallium-201 redistribution, the adjusted risk ratio for a cardiac event was 7.5 (95% confidence interval 2.9 to 19.1) compared with patients without any redistribution.Conclusions-Dipyridamole thallium-201 scintigraphy can be performed safely within a few days of the event in patients with uncomplicated myocardial infarction, including those who received thrombolysis, and can identify a subgroup of patients at high risk of future ischaemic events.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)346-352
JournalHeart
Volume78
Issue number4
Publication statusPublished - 1997

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