Original Articles: PDF OnlyValue of Tomographic Thallium-201 Imaging in Patients with Chest Pain Following Coronary Artery Bypass GraftingSTARLING, MARK R. M.D.; WALSH, RICHARD A. M.D.; DEHMER, GREGORY J. M.D.; LASHER, JOHN C. M.D.; BLUMHARDT, RALPH M.D. Author Information From the University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, Texas Clinical Nuclear Medicine: February 1987 - Volume 12 - Issue 2 - p 134-139 Buy Abstract To determine whether thallium-201 washout profile analysis can detect regional myocardial ischemia caused by coronary artery bypass graft occlusion or progression of disease in nonbypassed coronary arteries, 19 consecutive patients with chest pain following bypass grafting were evaluated with coronary arteriography and thallium-201 scintigraphy. Twenty of the 55 coronary artery regions were perfused by an occluded bypass graft or a significantly stenosed (≥70% diameter narrowing) nonbypassed coronary artery, while 35 coronary regions were perfused by patent bypass grafts or insignificantly diseased coronary arteries. The tomographic thallium-201 washout profile results correlated with the bypass graft and coronary arteriographic findings (k = 0.67, P < 0.001). The sensitivity of tomographic thallium-201 washout profile abnormalities for arteriographic abnormalities was 75%, while the specificity was 86%. The authors conclude that tomographic thallium-201 washout profile analysis may be very useful in the evaluation of patients with chest pain following coronary artery bypass grafting by detecting regional myocardial ischemia caused by occlusion of specific bypass grafts or progression of disease in nonbypassed coronary arteries. © Lippincott-Raven Publishers.
