Prediction of long-term effects of revascularization on regional and global left ventricular function by dobutamine echocardiography and rest Tl-201 imaging alone and in combination in patients with chronic coronary artery disease

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of low- dose dobutamine echocardiography (DE) and resting thallium 201 single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) alone and in combination for prediction of functional recovery at late follow-up (1 year) after revascularization. METHODS AND RESULTS: Twenty-six patients with coronary artery disease and ventricular dysfunction (ejection fraction, 42% +/- 9%) underwent DE and Tl-201 SPECT 14 +/- 9 (mean +/- SD) days before revascularization and repeated echocardiography 12 +/- 5 months thereafter. Discriminant analysis was applied to combine Tl-201 SPECT and DE data to classify dysfunctional segments as viable or nonviable. In 78 akinetic/dyskinetic revascularized segments, Tl-201 SPECT provided a sensitivity of 83% and a specificity of 55%, whereas DE showed a sensitivity of 60% and a specificity of 91%, for prediction of improvement in regional function at follow-up. The combination of data through use of discriminant analysis provided a sensitivity of 80% and a specificity of 86%, with an overall accuracy of 82%, significantly higher than DE (71%; P <.05) and Tl-201 SPECT (73%; P <.05) alone. Moreover, discriminant analysis identified 12 (75%) of 16 patients with and 8 (80%) of 10 patients without significant improvement in ejection fraction at follow- up, with an accuracy of 77%. CONCLUSIONS: The combination of Tl-201 SPECT and DE data provides higher accuracy than either technique alone for prediction of recovery of regional and global function after revascularization.