RADIONUCLIDE DIAGNOSIS OF DILATED CARDIOM YOPATHY - A NEW APPROACH TOEVALUATING MYOCARDIAL PERFUSION FROM TI-201 SCINTIGRAPHIC FINDINGS ATREST AND DURING DIPYRIDAMOLE TEST

A method for quantitative determination of the percentage of left vent ricular myocardial Tl-201 isotope uptake at rest and during dip y rida mole test was first used in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy and c oronary heart disease complicated by circulatory insufficiency or chro nic myocarditis. This method makes it possible to judge the level of m yocardial blood flow and perfusion reserve in these diseases. The most common differences were found between patients with coronary heart di sease and those with chronic myocarditis. The patients with chronic my ocarditis exhibited the greatest sizes of perfusion defects, highest v alues of Tl-201 uptake at rest and a lower myocardial perfusion reserv e during dipyridamole test. in response to exercise, most patients wit h chronic myocarditis had diminished perfusion defects, whereas those with coronary heart disease displayed increased defects. The myocardia l perfusion was varied in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy. Some p atients had a scintigraphic pattern close to that in patients with chr onic myocarditis and others had a pattern identical to that in patient s with coronary heart disease.