Clinical value of lung uptake of iodine-123 metaiodobenzylguanidine (MIBG), a myocardial sympathetic nerve imaging agent, in patients with chronic heart failure

This study investigated the clinical value of I-123 MIBG pulmonary accumula tion and washout in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF). Nineteen pat ients with CHF and 15 normal volunteers (NL) were included. The uptake rati o of heart to mediastinum (H/M), that of lung fields to mediastinum (L/M), and washout rate (WR) of the heart and lung fields were calculated in anter ior planar images and compared with results of echocardiography and cardiac catheterization. In the CHF group, the lung uptake in delayed images incre ased and lung WR was decreased, suggesting pulmonary endothelial lesions. F urthermore, there was a negative correlation between right and left lung WR and pulmonary arterial diastolic pressure (PA(D)) and pulmonary arterial s ystolic pressure (PA(S)) in the CHF group. Since the WR of MIBG reflected P A, it may be used as an index of severity of cardiac dysfunction.