Assessment of myocardial viability in chronic coronary artery disease using technetium-99m sestamibi SPECT - Correlation with histologic and positron emission tomographic studies and functional follow-up

Objectives. The value of Tc-99m-sestamibi (2-methoxy-isobutyl isonitrile [MIBI]) as a viability tracer was investigated in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft surgery. Background. Initial studies claim that rest MIBI single-photon emission computed tomographic (SPECT) studies can be used to assess myocardial viability. Methods. Thirty patients with a severely stenosed left anterior descending coronary artery and wall motion abnormalities were prospectively included. The patients underwent a MIBI rest study, a positron emission tomographic (PET) flow ((NH3)-N-13) and metabolism (F-18-deoxyglucose) study and nuclear angiography before undergoing bypass surgery. A preoperative transmural biopsy specimen was taken from the left ventricular anterior wall. Morphometry was performed to assess percent fibrosis. After 3 months, radionuclide angiography was repeated. Results. Statistically significant higher MIBI values were found in the group with myocardial viability as assessed by PET than in the group with PET-assessed nonviability (p < 0.01). Significantly higher MIBI values were found in the group with enhanced contractility at 3 months (76 +/- 13% vs. 53 +/- 22%, p < 0.01). A linear relation was found between MIBI uptake and percent fibrosis in the biopsy specimen (r = 0.78, p < 0.00001). When maximizing the threshold for assessment of viability with MIBI by using functional improvement as the reference standard, a cutoff value of 50% was found, with positive and negative predictive values of 82% and 78%, respectively. Conclusions. (TC)-T-99m MIBI uptake was significantly higher in PET-assessed viable areas and in regions with enhanced contractility at 3 months. A linear relation was found between percent fibrosis and MIBI uptake. An optimal threshold of 50% was found for prediction of functional recovery.