Open AccessThe application of radionuclide ventriculography to cardiac screening
Author(s) -
Lindsay J.,
Milner M. R.,
Goldstein S. A.,
Chandeysson P. L.,
Rodman D. J.,
Okin P. M.
Publication year - 1989
Publication title -
clinical cardiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.263
H-Index - 72
eISSN - 1932-8737
pISSN - 0160-9289
DOI - 10.1002/clc.4960120507
Subject(s) - medicine , radionuclide ventriculography , asymptomatic , cardiology , coronary artery disease , cardiomyopathy , population , cardiac catheterization , electrocardiography , scintigraphy , heart failure , ejection fraction , environmental health
Screening asymptomatic individuals for latent coronary disease often requires sequential testing because exercise electrocardiography typically produces more false positive than true positive results in a population with a low prevalence of coronary disease. Cardiac scintigraphy is a technique that may be employed as a confirmatory test in lieu of coronary arteriography to further evaluate the significance of a positive exercise electrocardiogram. Radionuclide ventriculography was employed in 98 asymptomatic individuals who were considered to be at moderate risk of heart disease after risk factor analysis and exercise electrocardiography. Seventeen (17%) patients had an abnormal study and underwent cardiac catheterization. Seven had coronary artery disease, two had cardiomyopathy, and eight were normal. Eighty‐one (83%) patients had a normal study. Because the sensitivity of radionuclide ventriculography is 63–80%, it was postulated that 2 to 5 individuals with disease were missed. Thus, from a population with an H‐14% prevalence of disease, two subsets were identified. A large subset in which a prevalence of 2–6% could be estimated was separated from a much smaller one in which a prevalence of approximately 50% was demonstrated.