Sixteen-Frame Gated Myocardial Perfusion SPECT as a Surrogate for Equilibrium Radionuclide Angiography in Measurement of Systolic and Diastolic Indices: A Cross-Sectional Study

Introduction Equilibrium radionuclide angiography (ERNA) has long been assumed as the preferred method to assess cardiac volumes as well as left ventricular systolic and diastolic indices. ERNA was used to diagnose subtle changes in cardiac function during chemotherapy or early stages of heart failure. Gated myocardial perfusion SPECT (GMPS) was introduced as a more feasible and versatile alternative to ERNA, but the precision of GMPS to assess systolic and diastolic indices has not yet been fully reviewed. Method We studied the left ventricular systolic and diastolic functional indices measured by a 16-frame GMPS and compared the results with those of ERNA in 25 patients. All the images were analyzed visually, semi-quantitatively, and quantitatively using quantitative gated SPECT (QGS), quantitative blood pool SPECT (QBS), and planar gated blood pool (PGBP) software. The left ventricular functional indices calculated using QGS compared with those obtained using QBS and PGBP Result Our study found a significant correlation between the left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) calculated using the PGBP, QGS, and QBS methods. There was a significant correlation between the LV peak ejection rate (LVPER) calculated by the PGBP and QGS analyses, and there was no significant difference in the LVPER calculated with the QGS and QBS methods. This study also revealed a significant correlation between the LV peak filling rate (LVPFR) calculated by QBS and QGS, with no significant difference between them. We also found a significant correlation between LV end systolic volume (LVESV) calculated using QGS and QBS and between LV end diastolic volume (LVEDV) calculated using QGS and QBS software. This study also revealed a significant correlation between the LV mean filling rate over the first third of diastole (LVMFR/3) calculated using the QGS and QBS software. Conclusion Considering the significant correlation between LVEF, LVPER, LVPFR, LVESV, LVMFR/3, and LVEDV calculated using the QGS and QBS methods in our study, the 16-frame GMPS could be regarded as an acceptable substitute for ERNA in the investigation of systolic and diastolic indices.