RESUMEN
We compared rest perfusion PET with redistribution perfusion SPECT to investigate the concordant rate between PET and SPECT images and analyze the discordant pattern. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Rest N-13 ammonia and F-18 FDG PET were performed on 18 patients with old myocardial infarction and left ventricular dysfunction whose dipyridamole - 4hr redistribution Tl-201 SPECT showed one or more severe fixed defects. Regional perfusion and metabolism were evaluated visually and quantitatively with 5-segment myocardial model. RESULTS: There were high concordant rate in uptake pattern (80/90 segments, 88.9%) and high correlation coefficient on quantitative analysis (R=0.81, p< 0.001) between redistrubution Tl-201 SPECT and N-13 ammonia PET images. Nine of 18 patients had SPECT-PET concordant pattern (Group I). Ten segments (9 in inferior wall, 1 in apex) from the remaining 9 patients showed SPECT-PET discordant pattern with abnormal Tl-201 defect and near normal N-13 ammonia uptake (Group II). The diastolic and systolic left ventricular dimensions were significantly increased in Group II compared to those of Group I. When attenuation uncorrected N-13 ammonia PET images were reconstructed in Group II, it resulted in PET images with severe inferior wall defects nearly identical to those seen in redistribution Tl-201 SPECT images. CONCLUSION: Redistribution Tl-201 SPECT images showed high concordant rate and correlation with rest N-13 ammonia PET images. Most of discordant segments had fixed thallium defects in inferior wall with nearly normal N-13 ammonia uptake, which may result from severe left ventricular dilatation and attenuation by the left hemidiaphragm and cardiac blood pool.