Role of myocardial perfusion imaging in acute coronary syndrome

Full text: In the cardiac emergency department, a number of patients present with acute chest pain. In case of non diagnostic ECG and enzymes, accurately categorizing the patient in high and low probability is difficult. Aim of study was to evaluate the role of resting myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and then to compare the results with subsequent stress imaging. Material and Methods. A total of 34 patients were selected for the study, which were divided into three groups on the basis of respective probabilities of having ACS. This probability was decided on the basis of nature of chest pain, ECG findings, enzymes levels, and age and sex. Arbitrary score was given to patient's condition. This score ranged from 1 to 14. Patients with score between 1-6 were assigned low probability, from 7-10 were assigned intermediate probability and patients having score greater than 11 were placed in high probability groups. Patients in the low and intermediate probability groups were injected with Tc99m- MIBI within 6 hours of onset of chest pain and were undergone resting myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) 3 to five hours after injection.. Imaging in high probability group was performed at discharge. Four weeks after the acute event all the patients underwent stress myocardial perfusion imaging. Results: All patients (100%) with low probability of ACS (n=10) showed negative resting scans. On stress MPI two patients (20%) showed new defects. Patient with high probability of ACS (n=12), all were positive 100% on resting MPI. On stress MPI, three showed (25%) no change from rest MPI, while nine patients (75%) showed augmentation of defects and four out of these nine patients (33%) also showed new perfusion defects. Patients with intermediate probability of ACS (n=12), three showed positive rest MPI (25%). On stress MPI out of these three cases, one showed (8%) no change from rest MPI and two showed (17%) augmentation of defect shown at rest with new perfusion defects. Out of nine negative cases on rest MPI, one remained negative (8%) on stress MPI and eight (67%) patients showed new perfusion defects. Conclusion: Emergency Resting MPI is quite feasible in our setting. It has no role in clinically high and low probability group. In the intermediate probability group, emergency resting MPI can identify high and low risk patients with good accuracy. (author)