MYOCARDIAL PERFUSION IMAGING (MPI)

Objective: Myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) with superior quality of imagesin least acquisition time is imperative for diagnostic purpose. The objective of this study wasto compare the Filter Back Projection (FBP) and half time Astonish reconstruction techniquesin diagnosis of coronary artery disease using cardiac catheterization as gold standard. Placeand period of study: Study was conducted in nuclear cardiology department, at Faisalabadinstitute of cardiology, Faisalabad from November 2014 to July2015. Material & Methods:A total of 60patients (56 + 19years) underwent gated MPI with Tc-99m Sestamibi and 30patients of these underwent cardiac catheterization as well. Images were reconstructed withhalf time Astonish and FBP algorithms. CAD detection, LVEF, perfusion defect comparisonusing polar maps and diagnostic performance were calculated. Results: Perfusion defectscalculated through Astonish and FBP techniques were compared and correlated with coronaryangiogram. The sensitivity, specificity and accuracy for detection of CAD in vascular territories(LAD, LCX & RCA) of the patients were 72%, 41% and 57% with FBP and 86%, 54% and 71%with Astonish. The calculated LVEF showed good correlation (r = 0.8773) between Astonishand cardiac catheterization. Conclusion: There were no significant changes in image quality ofHalf-time Astonish compared to full-time FBP. Astonish reconstruction showed equal resolution,reduced background noise and radiation dose. Reduced scanning time will improve patientscan quality due to less chance of attenuation.