| Myocardial perfusion imaging | |
|---|---|
 Myocardial perfusion scan with thallium-201 for the rest images (bottom rows) and Tc-Sestamibi for the stress images (top rows) | |
| Synonyms | Myocardial perfusion scintigraphy |
| ICD-10-PCS | C22G |
| MeSH | D055414 |
| OPS-301 code | 3-704, 3-721 |
| eMedicine | 2114292 |
Myocardial perfusion imaging or scanning (also referred to as MPI or MPS) is a nuclear medicine procedure that illustrates the function of the heart muscle (myocardium).[1]
It evaluates many heart conditions, such as coronary artery disease (CAD),[2] hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and heart wall motion abnormalities. It can also detect regions of myocardial infarction by showing areas of decreased resting perfusion. The function of the myocardium is also evaluated by calculating the left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) of the heart. This scan is done in conjunction with a cardiac stress test. The diagnostic information is generated by provoking controlled regional ischemia in the heart with variable perfusion.
Planar techniques, such as conventional scintigraphy, are rarely used. Rather, single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) is more common in the US. With multihead SPECT systems, imaging can often be completed in less than 10 minutes. With SPECT, inferior and posterior abnormalities and small areas of infarction can be identified, as well as the occluded blood vessels and the mass of infarcted and viable myocardium.[3] The usual isotopes for such studies are either thallium-201 or technetium-99m.
- ^ Myocardial+Perfusion+Imaging at the U.S. National Library of Medicine Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)
- ^ Lee, J. C.; West, M. J.; Khafagi, F. A. (2013). "Myocardial perfusion scans". Australian Family Physician. 42 (8): 564–7. PMID 23971065.
- ^ Merck manuals > Radionuclide Imaging Last full review/revision May 2009 by Michael J. Shea, MD. Content last modified May 2009