COMPARISON BETWEEN PLANAR AND TOMOGRAPHIC RADIONUCLIDE VENTRICULOGRAPHY FOR DETECTING INFERIOR WALL-MOTION ABNORMALITIES

Gated planar radionuclide ventriculography is routinely used for the d etection of regional wall motion abnormalities of the left ventricle. However, for inferior wall motion abnormalities, sensitivity is known to be low in the left anterior oblique 'best septal' projection, altho ugh improved if a left posterior oblique (LPO) view is also acquired, Gated tomography of the cardiac blood pool is now available. This stud y compared the sensitivity of planar 'best septal' projection, LPO and tomographic radionuclide ventriculography in the detection of inferio r wall motion abnormalities. Thirty-two patients consisting of 18 with previous inferior myocardial infarction and 14 normal controls were s tudied. All patients underwent equilibrium planar 'best septal', plana r LPO and then tomographic radionuclide ventriculography. Interior wal l motion abnormality was detected in 'best septal' in eight (44%) pati ents, LPO in 12 (67%) and tomography in 17 (94%) patients, respectivel y. Tomographic radionuclide ventriculography was best at detecting inf erior wall motion abnormality-while planar LPO projection is better th an 'best septal) projection.