Role of myocardial perfusion SPECT in asymptomatic diabetic patients

Purpose: It is important that early diagnosis and treatment of coronary artery disease in diabetic patients, but there are few reports on the prevalence of stress-induced myocardial perfusion abnormalities and the rates of cardiac event in patients with type 2 diabetes. We evaluated the scan findings on gated myocardial perfusion SPECT in asymptomatic diabetic patients. Methods: We performed pharmacological stress test and gated perfusion SPECT in 69 diabetic patients without cardiovascular symptom (mean age: 65 year, male 31 and female 38). Patients underwent two-day imaging protocol and stress study was performed injection of Tc-99m MIBI during adenosine infusion. We followed up these patients by reviewing medical records. Results: Fifty-two of 69 patients (74.5%) showed normal scan findings and 17 patients (24.6%) showed reversible or fixed perfusion defects. Three of 52 patients with normal scan findings showed decreased LV ejection fraction and decreased wall motion. Twenty-three patients with normal scan findings were possible to follow up for more than 1yr (mean time: 18.3±3.3 mo.) and they all had no cardiac event. Three patients with reversible perfusion defects were performed coronary angioplasty. Conclusion: Myocardial perfusion SPECT is a noninvasive method and maybe useful in early diagnosis and predicting prognosis in diabetic patients