MYOCARDIAL SESTAMIBI SINGLE-PHOTON EMISSION TOMOGRAPHY - VARIATIONS IN REFERENCE VALUES WITH GENDER, AGE AND REST VERSUS STRESS

Reference data files support the evaluation of myocardial perfusion si ngle-photon emission tomography (SPET). The aim of this study was to c reate a large reference data base for technetium-99m sestamibi SPET, a ge and gender matched to the general patient population, One hundred a nd twenty-eight healthy volunteers (76 males and 52 females) with a li kelihood of coronary artery disease of less than 5% underwent rest and maximal exercise Tc-99m-sestamibi SPET with a 2-day protocol and 180 degrees elliptical rotation, The normalized activity values of Tc-99m- sestamibi in the inferior wall differed significantly between men and women. Age variations were found for men in the anterior wall. Normali zed activity values in all four walls were strikingly similar during r est and stress. Our results suggest that the use of reference files in Tc-99m-sestamibi SPET requires a gender- and, for males, possibly an age-matched reference population. Different reference files at rest an d during stress might not be necessary.