Myocardial scintigraphy with thallium-201

Thallium-201 myocardial scintigraphy is an important non-invasive method for assessment of coronary artery disease. Other applications of the method such as delineation of the right ventricular free wall in right ventricular overload, or the detection of hypertrophic cardiomyopathies or myocardial infiltrations are of subordinate importance. In heart disease such as congestive cardiomyopathy and mitral valve prolapse thallium-201 uptake defects have been described, the clinical implications of these findings, however, cannot be adequately interpreted at this time. Myocardial uptake of thallium-201 is an active process, dependent on and proportional to perfusion. Differentiation between myocardial ischemia and myocardial scar is based on the presence or absence of thallium-201 'redistribution'. That is, in the presence of acute reversible ischemia there is increased thallium-201 uptake in the post-ischemic phase in previously hypoperfused myocardium and, subsequently, equilibrium of the initially registered activity differences. 'Redistribution' has also been described in the resting scintigram of patients with severe coronary artery disease and chronic hypoperfusion. (orig.)