The prognostic value of 99MTc-MIBI stress-rest myocardial perfusion imaging in patients suspected with coronary artery disease

Objective: To evaluate the prognostic value of 99mTc-MIBI stress-rest myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) for patients suspected with coronary artery disease (CAD). Methods: 206 consecutive patients suspected with CAD (165 males, 41 females; age range 16-90 years, mean age 55.94±12.46 years) underwent 99mTc-MIBI stress-rest myocardial perfusion imaging (two days protocol), 57 pts with hypertension, 68 pts with hyperlipemia, 39 pts with diabetes and 62 pts with the family history of CAD. According to the imaging results, the 206 patients were divided into 3 groups. G1, normal, 135 pts; G2, reversible defects, 20 pts; G3, fixed defects, 51 pts. The mean time of follow-up was 33.25±14.95 (1-56) months. Results: The rate of cardiac events (CE) occurrence of the three groups was 1.5% (2/135), 65% ( 13/20) and 7.8% (4/51) respectively and there was significant difference between them. Kaplan-Meier survival curves analyzing the no-CE rates in the three groups, ischemic patients demonstrated a more significantly lower than normal and infarction ones in the no-CE rates(Log-rank statistic, chi-square 124.89, P <0.0001). The better predictor of future cardiac events is the reversible defect. Over all, 23.9% of the patients with abnormal stress MPI occurred cardiac events, but only 7.5% of the patients with abnormal rest ones did(chi-square 5.80, P =0.016). The prognoses of patients with normal stress MPI result were better than those with normal rest ones (1.5% versus 9.7%, chi-square 8.94, P =0.0028). Compared with rest MPI, the stress one is a better predictable method to analyze the patient' s condition and evaluate the prognosis. Conclusions: 99mTc-MIBI stress-rest myocardial perfusion imaging is a better Methods to evaluate the prognosis of patients suspected with CAD, and the rate of CE occurrence was 65% in reversible defects patients in this study. (authors)