Abstract
The appearance of the right ventricular myocardium on thallium 201 myocardial perfusion images was evaluated in patients with chronic pulmonary hypertension and compared to patients without pulmonary hypertension. Four groups of patients were studied: 8 normals, 5 patients with angiographically documented coronary artery disease and normal pulmonary artery pressures, 10 patients with moderate to severe pulmonary parenchymal or vascular disease and documented pulmonary hypertension and 8 patients with chronic left ventricular dysfunction and pulmonary hypertension discovered during cardiac catheterization. The right ventricular free wall was visualized on the thallium 201 myocardial perfusion image in only 1 of 8 normals (group 1) and in only 1 of the 5 patients with coronary artery disease (group 2) and measured 0.5 cm and 0.9 cm in thickness, respectively. In patients with documented pulmonary hypertension the right ventricle was visualized on low contrast thallium 201 myocardial perfusion images in all patients. The apparent right ventricular free wall thickness measured from the ungated thallium 201 myocardial perfusion images was 1.7 ± 0.3 cm in group 3 and 1.5 ± 0.2 cm in group 4. Right ventricular hypertrophy was detected by electrocardiography in only 5 of 10 patients in group 3 and only 1 of 8 patients in group 4. Thallium 201 myocardial perfusion imaging appears to be a useful technique for assessing the effects of chronic pulmonary hypertension on the right ventricular myocardium.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 790-795 |
| Number of pages | 6 |
| Journal | Unknown Journal |
| Volume | 54 |
| Issue number | 5 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 1976 |