Detection of Myocardial Viability with Positron Emission Tomography in a Patient with Ischemic Cardiomyopathy
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Detection of Myocardial Viability with Positron Emission Tomography in a Patient with Ischemic Cardiomyopathy Case Presentation: David Weiss Discussion: Howard J. Eisen Guest Editor: Abass Alavi Nuclear Medicine Division, Department ofRadiology and the Cardiovascular Section, Department of Medicine, Hospital ofthe University ofPennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Physical exam revealed a blood pressure of 100/60 J NucI Med 1991; 32:130—135 and a regular pulse of 100. Sharp discs were present on fundiscopic exam with no arteriovenous nicking. Ca rotid artery pulseswere normal with no bruits, and no CASEPRESENTATION jugular venous distention was present. The lungs were clear to auscultation and percussion. Cardiac exam A 52-yr-old man became unresponsive while riding revealed a regular rate, a soft Il/VI systolic ejection in a van driven by his son in August 1989. The son murmur at the lower sternal border, and the presence stopped the van, found the patient to be without spon of an S4. No S3 was heard. Abdominal exam was taneous respirations or pulse, and started cardiopul remarkablefor slight hepatomegaly.The spleenwasnot monary resuscitation. He was aided by a passerby, but enlarged. No peripheral edema, cyanosis, or clubbing approximately 30—45mm elapsed before spontaneous was present. respirations returned. Enroute to a nearby hospital, the Electrocardiographic findings included sinus tachy patient was described as being cyanotic with a very cardia with evidence of right atrial enlargement. Left weak pulse. In the emergency room, the patient was axis deviation was present and poor R-wave progression lethargic, and later combative, agitated, and confused. across the precordium was noted. No Q-waves, ST Premature ventricular contractions were noted and, segment, or T-wave abnormalities were present. therefore, a lidocaine infusion was started. Laboratory evaluation upon admission revealed a The patient had reportedly been in good health until creatine kinase of 18, LDH of 367, and glucose of 766. approximately 6 wk prior to admission when he had The arterial blood gases on a 100% rebreathing mask presented with slurred speech and personality changes. were as follows: pH 7.31, p02 of 186, and pCO2 of 28. Computed tomography of the head performed on Au Cardiac enzymes obtained following admission showed gust 24, 1989 revealed a hemorrhagic left parietal in no evidence of an acute myocardial infarction. Chest farct, which wastreatedconservatively.The neurologic ifim revealed no evidence ofheart failure, with a mildly signs improved over a period of 3 wk with the only enlarged and somewhat globular appearing cardiac sil residual being a minimal expressive aphasia. Diabetes houette. A radionucide ventriculogram revealed a mellitus had also been discovered during this hospital markedly diminished left ventricular ejection fraction admission. of2O%, biventricular enlargement, apical akinesis, and His family history was significant in that his mother severe hypokinesis of the left ventricle. died at age 52 due to heart disease; a sister also had Echocardiography on August 24, 1989 confirmed a coronary artery disease. The patient had a smoking significantly low left ventricular ejection fraction of history ofhalfa pack per week, but had quit 5 mo prior 20%. Biventricular enlargement was present along with to admission. A history ofalcohol abuse in the past was a probable intracardiac thrombus along the septal wall. reported, but recent use was denied. Heart valves were structurally normal. Hemodynamics assessed at cardiac catheterization ReceivedNov.2, 1990;acceptedNov.2, 1990. on August 28, 1989 were remarkable for an elevated For reprintscontact:HowardJ. Eisen,MD. CardiovascularSection, Hospitalof the thversity of PennSylvania,9 Gates Bldg., 3400 Spruce St., mean pulmonary capillary wedge pressure of3O mmHg, Philadelphia,PA19104. elevated right heart pressures consistent with pulmo 130 The Journal of Nuclear Medicine •Vol. 32 •No. 1 •January 1991 @ :@@@:‘ nary hypertension and a diminished cardiac output of 2.99 liters per minute. Cardiac index was 1.47 liters per minute per meter squared. The left ventricular end diastolic pressurewas elevated at 30 mmHg. The arte riovenous02 difference was markedly elevated at 11.3 U) ‘/ vol%. Left ventricular ejection fraction was estimated to be l0%—l5% with globally decreased left ventricular wall motion. Three-vesselcoronaryartery diseasewasdocumented with a 90% stenosis just proximal to the first acute marginal branch of the right coronary artery, a short, diffusely narrowed left main coronary artery, and a tight occlusionbetween the first septalbranch and the first diagonal branch of the left anterior descending (LAD) coronary artery. The LAD lesion appeared to be a total occlusion which had recanalized. A 90% stenosis of the first obtuse marginal branch of the circumflex artery was present at the vessel origin, and a 50% .@)7B) segmental occlusion of the circumflex was noted dis FIGURE 1 tally. Stress and rest thallium scintigrams show an anterior and The impression at the time of the cardiac catheteri upper septal defect with no redistribution.Other regions of zation was that of severe three-vessel coronary artery the myocardiumshow thalliumuptake. disease with a low output state due to severe biventri cular failure. On the basis ofthese findings, the patient's heart disease was termed end-stage and he was not left ventricle with fixed defects in the anterior and upper considereda candidate for coronary artery bypasssur septal walls, most consistent with scar (Fig. 1). Radio gery. nuclide gated ventriculography done on the same day A tomographic thallium study was then performed demonstrated dilated ventricles, a left ventricular ejec following cardiac pacing on September 7, 1989. The tion fraction of 13%, and global left ventricular hypo patient's heart was paced to 87% of predicted maxi kinesis with akinetic septum and anteroapical walls. On mum. A large defect was present on the immediate the basis of these findings and the attendant intraoper images involving the septum, apex, and inferior wall. ative and perioperative risk of bypass grafting in this Dilatation of the left ventricle was noted on the imme setting, coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery diate post-pacing images. The delayed study revealed was not considered prudent. However, metabolic im the defects to be largely fixed with only slight improve aging was considered to further define the viability of ment in a small portion of the anteroseptal wall. the myocardium. Electrophysiologic studies were performed but no Positron emission tomography (PET) of the heart arrhythmia could be induced. The patient was anti was performed utilizing 10.5 mCi of fluorine-18-la coagulated for the cardiac thrombus. The patient was beled-2-fluoro-2-deoxyglucose(FDG) with the patient transferred to the Hospital of the University of Penn in a fasting state. One hundred grams ofan oral glucose sylvania (HUP) on September 18, 1989 for possible solution was administered orally 1hr prior to injection. cardiac transplantation and placement of an automatic Reconstructed tomographic images revealed normal implantable cardiac defibrillator (AICD). uptake of FDG in both the inferoapical region and in The admitting diagnosis at HUP was dilated cardio the septum, suggesting myocardial viability or “hiber myopathy, most likely ischemic in nature, with proba nating―myocardium (Fig. 2). With this additional in ble associated malignant ventricular arrhythmias and formation, bypass grafting was undertaken with grafts an episode of sudden cardiac death. Admitting chest placedfrom the aorta to the LAD, first obtusemarginal film confirmed the presence of a mildly enlarged heart branch, and from the aorta to the first acute marginal, without evidence of congestive heart failure. Carotid second acute marginal, and the distal right coronary Doppler examination revealed no significant stenoses. artery. In addition, patches were inserted for the even Electrophysiologicstudies were repeated with the in tual placement of an AICD. duction of a monomorphic ventricular tachycardia. Postoperative radionuclide gated ventriculography A stress-rest thallium study was performed on Sep was performed on October 6, 1989 and showed a tember 22, 1989 and the patient achieved 60% of marked improvement in left ventricular ejection frac maximal predicted heart rate with no ischemic electro tion to 36%. Septal and apical wall motion abnormali cardiographicfindings. Scintigraphy revealed a dilated ties persisted but were also substantially improved. Post Detecting Myocardial Viability •Weiss et al 131 viability. Indirect assessments of viability have relied on global as well as regional left ventricular function and wall motion. Such assessments in the past have been made using contrast or radionuclide angiography or echocardiography. Left ventricular segments that were akinetic, dyskinetic, or severely hypokinetic were felt to be infarcted zones that had little myocardial viability. Exercise-stress tests with thallium-20 1 (201Tl) scintigraphy have provided an improved method of discriminating ischemic but viable myocardium from irreversibly damaged necrotic myocardium (1—3).It has become apparent from prior studies that regional yen tricular wall asynergy or dysnergy does not provide accurate evidence for myocardial viability and that Transaxialslices of PET scan with [18F]FDG.Note homoge dysnergic or asynergic ventricular wall may contain neous