Accuracy of dipyridamole SPECT imaging in identifying individual coronary stenoses and multivessel disease in women versus men

Background. Older women frequently undergo dipyridamole perfusion imaging a nd can have advanced coronary artery disease, but little data exist on the accuracy of perfusion imaging in detecting disease in individual vascular t erritories and multivessel disease in women, compared with men. Methods and Results, From a database of patients undergoing myocardial sing le photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) perfusion imaging, 107 unsel ected sequential patients (58 women, 49 men) who underwent sestamibi dipyri damole stress and cardiac catheterization within 6 months of each other wer e identified. Data were analyzed to compare sensitivities for detection of individual coronary stenoses and multivessel disease. The concordance between perfusion image results and cardiac catheterization for individual coronary territories for women was 75%, and for men, it was 65% (P = .09), In women, the presence of disease of the left anterior desc ending coronary artery was detected more frequently than it was in men, 84% versus 44% (P = .004), The detection of disease in the territories of the left circumflex and right coronary arteries was similar for both groups, Fo r women, the accuracy of perfusion imaging in identifying the presence/abse nce of multivessel coronary disease was 64%, compared with 71% for men (P = not significant). Conclusions. The accuracy of dipyridamole sestamibi SPECT imaging in detect ing multivessel disease was similar for men and women. The sensitivity of d ipyridamole sestamibi SPECT imaging in detecting disease of the left anteri or descending artery was better in women.