Usefulness of 123I-MIBG myocardial scintigraphy for determining the severity and prognosis in chronic hemodialysis patients with congestive heart failure

The subjects were 32 patients who had undergone hemodialysis treatment for an average of 17 yr. MIBG myocardial scintigraphy was obtained from SPECT and anterior planar images at 15 min and 4 hr after MIBG injection. Myocardial MIBG uptake was quantified by the heart-to-mediastinum uptake ratio on delayed planar images (H/M) and the mean myocardial MIBG washout rate at 4 hr was calculated by using the Bull's eye map (MC). The mean lung MIBG washout rate at 4 hr was also obtained from planar images (LC). The left ventricular end diastolic dimension (LVDd), percent fractional shortening (%FS), wall thickness and the ratio of peak velocity of early rapid filling to peak velocity of inflow due to the atrial contraction (E/A) were measured by echocardiography. The patients were divided according to the severity of congestive heart failure (CHF): NYHA classification grade I or II vs. grade III or IV. The severe CHF group showed decreased H/M, LC and dilatation of LVDd. Twenty-two patients were clinically followed up for one and a half years. Seven had acute worsening of CHF and required admission to a hospital. The other 15 patients did not require admission. H/M and LC were decreased, and E/A was increased in the former group. Eighteen of the 24 patients with mild CHF were followed up and classified according to the clinical course whether or not they had acute worsening of CHF. In the acute worsening group, H/M and LC were decreased, and E/A was increased compared with the non-acute worsening group. Thus, H/M and LC indicate the severity and the prognosis of chronic hemodialysis patients with CHF. Dilatation of LVDd reflects the severity of CHF, but it cannot predict the clinical course, because LVDd is always reduced by the medication for CHF. Increased E/A was found in the acute worsening CHF group, but many factors influence the E/A value and increased E/A alone cannot be prognostic for the clinical course of CHF. (K.H.)