(201)Thallium ECT perfusion pattern in dilated cardiomyopathy

Patients with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) may have a patchy inhomogeneous perfusion pattern in the (201)Thallium ECT at rest, We examined if there ar e differences in the Tl-pattern post-stress, at rest and after reinjection and in the prognostic meaning of a pathological Tl-201 ECT, We included 37 patients with dilated cardiomyopathy and examined by Tl-201 ECT, if there is a pathological perfusion pattern and if the pattern change s from stress imaging to post-stress and imaging after reinjection (stress, 3 h post-stress, immediately after post-stress reinjection, 2 h after rein jection, and 20 h after reinjection), A subgroup of patients underwent a fo llow-up study five years later, 67% of the patients had an inhomogeneous pa ttern in the 201Tl ECT, The pattern was identical for all five studies, but in the post-stress images and post-reinjection images number and extent of the defects were reduced, In the follow-up study the pattern of the perfus ion defects did not have a prognostic impact, Conclusions In 67% of patients with DCM a pathological pattern with an inho mogeneous perfusion pattern or patchy defects are observed in thallium scin tigraphy, These defects are especially visible in the stress imaging, The i nhomogeneous perfusion pattern does not add additional prognostic informati on to left ventricular size and ejection fraction.