| Radiology 1995 Jan;194(1):151-155 |
Hibernating myocardium versus scar: severity of irreversible decreased
myocardial perfusion in prediction of tissue viability.
Go RT, MacIntyre WJ, Saha GB, Cook SA, Neumann DR, Chen EQ, Underwood DA, Kaczur T.
PURPOSE: To determine whether quantitation of the relative severity of decreased perfusion
in irreversible defects on myocardial perfusion images enables differentiation of viable
hibernating myocardium from scar. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In 145 patients with previous
myocardial infarction, 1,252 regions with irreversible defects proved by means of
rubidium-82 rest-stress imaging were analyzed for relative severity (percentage decrease
in perfusion). Myocardial tissue viability was determined by means of positron emission
tomography with fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG). RESULTS: The relative decreases in
Rb-82 uptake in the 1,252 regions were categorized into nine levels of severity (30% to
> or = 70%) in 381 regions of hibernating myocardium and 871 regions of scar. The
values of relative decreased perfusion in the irreversible defects alone did not enable
differentiation of hibernating myocardium and scar (P = .61). CONCLUSION: The results show
no relationship between the relative severity of irreversible perfusion defects and the
ability to distinguish between hibernating myocardium and scar.
