Serial Exercise Thallium Myocardial Perfusion Scanning and Exercise Electrocardiography in the Diagnosis of Coronary Artery Disease*

Abstract

Serial exercise 201Th myocardial perfusion scanning (exercise and 4 h redistribution) was compared to rest and exercise ECG for the detection of coronary artery disease in 125 patients with known or suspected coronary artery disease. All patients underwent coronary arteriography and 108 were found to have significant coronary artery lesions. The serial exercise Th scan was significantly more sensitive than rest and exercise ECG in detecting coronary artery disease. The sensitivity of a reversible Th perfusion scan abnormality and a positive exercise ECG for detecting exercise induced myocardial ischemia in coronary artery disease was similar. The exercise Th scan complemented the exercise ECG and the senstivity of the combined test was significantly greater than the exercise ECG alone. The specificity for coronary artery disease of the exercise ECG was 65% and that of the exercise 201Th myocardial perfusion scan was 82%. 201Th myocardial perfusion scanning complements the rest and exercise ECG in the non-invasive detection of coronary artery disease.