Evaluating the effect of PTCA by exercise stress myocardial perfusion imaging

In this study, 44 patients after successful percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) were followed up by exercise stress myocardial perfusion imaging. In 28 patients with myocardial ischemia after PTCA, myocardial imaging of 75.0% patients reverted to normal or approximately normal. In 16 patients of myocardial infarction with ischemia after PTCA, myocardial imaging of only 37.5% patients reverted to normal or approximately normal, significantly less than myocardial ischemia. But the general efficacious incidence was similar in both groups. Most of 77 myocardial segments with complete or obvious redistribution returned to normal imaging after PTCA. During the follow-up coronary artery restenosis occurred in 6 cases, 5 of which were confirmed by coronary arteriography. Restenosis may be discovered as soon as possible, if a patient was reexamined by myocardial imaging 2-6 months after PTCA. The results of this study indicated that myocardial imaging is a noninvasive and reliable method for the assessment of PTCA therapeutic effect and follow up studies