Objectives: We sought to determine whether right ventricular (RV) perfusion imaging with technetium-99m (Tc-99m) sestamibi or tetrofosmin single-photon emission computed tomography has diagnostic benefit for RV-originated ventricular tachyarrhythmias (RVT).
Background: Identification of RV abnormalities is clinically important to establish RVT etiology.
Methods: Forty-seven patients with RVT (23 with idiopathic and 24 with organic RVT due to arrhythmogenic RV or dilated cardiomyopathy, cardiac sarcoidosis or myocarditis) were compared to 25 control subjects. Right ventricular uptake score, as assessed by modified tomographic imaging, and regional RV count relative to peak left ventricular (LV) count (RV/LV count ratio) were compared with RV regional and global function.
Results: Regional RV uptake score correlated well with the RV/LV count ratio, and segmental abnormality was more frequently (p = 0.001) detected in the organic RVT group (22 [92%] of 24 patients) than in the idiopathic RVT group (4 [17%] of 23 patients) or the control group (8 [32%] of 25 patients). The total RV score (8.4+/-3.8) in the organic RVT group was significantly lower than that in the idiopathic RVT group (15.6+/-1.6) or the control group (15.1+/-1.8). The total RV score correlated with RV EF (r = 0.702, p<0.001). A total RV score <12 differentiated the organic RVT group from the other two groups, with a sensitivity of 79% and a specificity of 100%. The asynergic RV regions had a significantly lower RV/LV count ratio and RV score as compared with the nonasynergic regions and were identified by RV assessment, with a sensitivity of 76.1% and a specificity of 76.6%.
Conclusions: Right ventricular perfusion tomography using a Tc-99m-labeled tracer is clinically useful for the noninvasive detection of RV myocardial damage in patients with RVT and for differentiating organic from idiopathic RVT.