Clinical validity of combined transit-time and gated-blood-pool evaluation in heart disease

Radiocardiographic procedures today relate to cardiac function, myocardial perfusion, and metabolism. Function, specifically, may be analysed by quantification of the first pass for minimal transit times (MTTs) and by gated blood pool scanning (GBP) of the left ventricle for volume curve and wall motion analysis. These various nuclear cardiological investigations deal with different pathophysiological entities and show different diagnostic sensitivities and specificities in detecting heart disease. It is the aim of this research to demonstrate the benefit of carrying out combined MTT and GBP studies under rest as well as under exercice conditions. The functional aspects of the data reveal that under stress conditions MTTs seem to be comparably sensitive to GBP in detecting LV dysfunction. Moreover, it gives additional aspects in those heart diseases which are not exclusively localised to the left ventricle but affects the entire central circulation. It is concluded that the combination of MTT and GBP measurement -especially under exercice conditions- yields a comprehensive set of data, which is suitable for a more accurate description of heart function. Combined analysis of data including perfusion studies will improve diagnostic quality