This study establishes reference values for left ventricular systolic synchrony using SPECT phase analysis, demonstrating that synchrony is independent of demographics but decreases during pharmacological stress.
BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to define reference values for left ventricular systolic synchrony and for the volume parameters of the left ventricle using myocardial perfusion SPECT-derived phase analysis method. METHODS: We evaluated data of 433 patients who underwent myocardial perfusion SPECT/CT during January 2012-February 2013 in Kuopio University Hospital. The final study population consisted of 52 patients (aged 42-84 years) who met the criteria: (1) no previously diagnosed cardiac disease, (2) normal ECG at rest, (3) no advanced coronary artery disease in CT and 4) normal myocardial perfusion in stress/rest myocardial perfusion SPECT/CT. The severity of mechanical dyssynchrony was assessed by phase analysis of gated myocardial SPECT at stress stage after pharmacological exercise and at rest using Quantitative Gated SPECT (QGS) software. Volume parameters of the left ventricle were also assessed. RESULTS: The phase histogram bandwidth at rest was 28.0 63.7 degrees (median 95th percentile). The standard deviation of phase histogram at rest was 7.8 26.5 degrees. Entropy at the rest study was 54.0 63.7 %. All left ventricular dyssynchrony parameters were statistically significantly higher at stress compared to rest. There were no statistically significant differences in dyssynchrony values between men and women. In volume parameters, reference values in male were expectedly higher than in female. Cardiac output did not differ significantly between genders. CONCLUSION: In subjects without signs of cardiac diseases, the left ventricular systolic function is well synchronized. Phase analysis measurement does not depend on gender, age, BMI or blood pressure, but the values of dyssynchrony parameters increase during pharmacological stress.
Hämäläinen et al. (Sun,) studied this question.