Objectives: This study sought to determine the incidence and extent of dobutamine-induced contractile reserve in myocardial regions characterized by classical and new positron emission tomographic (PET) patterns in patients with chronic ischemic left ventricular dysfunction.
Background: PET is considered the most accurate method for assessment of myocardial viability, which is traditionally identified by perfusion-metabolism mismatch.
Methods: In 23 patients, segmental wall thickening expressed by four echocardiographic scores at rest and during low dose (5 and 10 microg/kg body weight per min) dobutamine infusion and regional myocardial uptake of potassium-38 and fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose (F-18 FDG) during glucose clamp were compared in 16 corresponding segments.
Results: Of a total of 368 segments, data analysis focused on 214 (58%) dyssynergic segments at baseline. Contractile reserve was identified with increasing incidence according to the six following PET patterns: 1) diminished perfusion and moderate reduction of F-18 FDG uptake (3 [11%] of 28 segments); 2) proportional reduction of perfusion and F-18 FDG uptake (10 [23%] of 43 segments); 3) perfusion-metabolism mismatch (19 [46%] of 41 segments); 4) preserved perfusion but moderate reduction of F-18 FDG uptake (13 [46%] of 27 segments); 5) preserved perfusion and F-18 FDG uptake (37 [59%] of 63 segments) compared with our normal database; and 6) normal perfusion but absolute increased F-18 FDG uptake (8 [73%] of 11 segments). In the latter category, only 7 of 24 segments had normal rest function. In dyssynergic segments with F-18 FDG uptake > or = 50% supplied by vessels with > or = 75% stenosis, improvement in contractility during dobutamine correlated with the presence of collateral channels.
Conclusions: Myocardial regions with the traditional mismatch pattern of viability show contractile reserve in slightly < 50%. In segments with moderate reduction of F-18 FDG uptake, the contractile response to dobutamine is linked to the level of rest perfusion. Most segments with preserved perfusion and increased F-18 FDG uptake have impaired rest function, but contractile reserve is still present. These data suggest that in chronic ischemic left ventricular dysfunction, myocardial hibernation is a heterogeneous condition.