The clinical value and safety of ECG-gated dipyridamole myocardial perfusion imaging in patients with aortic stenosis

Abstract

The role of vasodilator myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) for aortic stenosis (AS) is controversial due to safety and accuracy concerns. In addition, its utility after aortic valve (AV) interventions remains unclear. Patients with AS who underwent thallium-201-gated dipyridamole MPI using a cadmium-zinc-telluride camera were retrospectively reviewed and divided into three groups: mild AS, moderate-to-severe AS, and prior AV interventions. Patients with coronary artery disease with ≥50% stenosis, severe arrhythmia, left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) <40%, left bundle branch block or no follow-up were excluded. Relationships between the severity of AS, clinical characteristics, hemodynamic response, serious adverse events (SAE) and MPI parameters were analyzed. None of the 47 patients had SAE, including significant hypotension or LVEF reduction. The moderate-to-severe AS group had higher summed stress scores (SSSs) and depressed LVEF than the mild AS group, however there were no differences after AV interventions. SSS was positively correlated with AV mean pressure gradient, post-stress lung-heart ratio (LHRs), and post-stress end-diastolic volume (EDVs) (P < 0.05). In multivariate analysis, LHRs and EDVs were independent contributors to SSS. Dipyridamole-induced ischemia and LV dysfunction is common, and dipyridamole stress could be a safe diagnostic tool in evaluation and follow-up in patients with AS.