ABSTRACT
In 30 patients who received 102 saphenous vein bypass grafts, 91 were patent. Preoperative intracoronary injection of 99mTc-labeled albumin particles suspended in contrast revealed 81 regions of perfusion deficit which subsequently received successful revascularization. With postoperative graft injection of isotope, 48 of these regions no longer showed a perfusion deficit (59%), while 33 showed no change (41%). In these 30 patients, 16 of 17 (94%) revealed perfusion defects in regions of prior transmural myocardial infarction. Conversely, only 55 of 96 regions distal to coronary artery stenosis of greater than 50% revealed perfusion defects (57%). Thus, 99mTc-labeled microsphere studies seem to be valuable in detecting regions of prior infarction. After angiographically documented revascularization, the method continued to reveal perfusion deficits in 41% of abnormal regions noted preoperatively, even though almost half of these same specific regions showed improved postoperative regional contractility after postextrasystolic potentiation.
