COMPARISON BETWEEN IODINE-123 METAIODOBENZYLGUANIDINE SCINTIGRAPHY AND HEART-RATE-VARIABILITY FOR THE ASSESSMENT OF CARDIAC SYMPATHETIC ACTIVITY IN MILD-TO-MODERATE HEART-FAILURE

This study demonstrates that in patients with mild to moderate heart F ailure, cardiac metaiodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) washout positively corr elates with normalized low-frequency power in the heart rate variabili ty spectrum, Alterations of the cardiac sympathetic nervous system cou ld be detected with MIBG scintigraphy in patients with normal plasma n orepinephrine levels. Therefore cardiac MIBG washout may be a valuable noninvasive technique to assess early alterations in cardiac sympathe tic activity that may have potential clinical implications in patients with mild to moderate heart failure.