RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN VARIOUS PARAMETERS DERIVED FROM I-123 LABELED BETA-METHYL-BRANCHED FATTY-ACID WHOLE-BODY SCINTIGRAPHY AND LEFT-VENTRICULAR EJECTION FRACTION IN PATIENTS WITH ISCHEMIC-HEART-DISEASE

Heart uptake and clearance of I-123-15-(p-iodophenyl)-3(R,S)-methyl-pe ntadeconic acid (BMIPP) by whole-body scintigraphy in relation to left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) was evaluated in 34 patients wit h ischaemic heart disease. At 45 and 210 min after injection, anterior whole-body images were obtained. In each patient, multigated blood po ol scintigraphy was also performed, and LVEF was calculated. The perce ntage heart uptake of BMIPP did not have a significant correlation wit h LVEF (R=-0.299, NS). In contrast, there was a positive correlation b etween LVEF measured by multigated blood pool scintigraphy and BMIPP c ount density of the heart (R=0.467, P=0.005). Myocardial BMIPP washout rate also positively correlated with LVEF (R=0.472, P=0.005). In addi tion to these observations, there was a positive correlation between t he BMIPP count density of the heart and myocardial BMIPP washout rate (R=0.0543, P=0.001). Thus, the BMIPP count density of the heart and my ocardial BMIPP washout rate derived from BMIPP whole-body scintigraphy directly correlated with LVEF. However, the correlations between thes e parameters and LVEF were not strong enough to allow left ventricular dysfunction to be assessed precisely.