Thallium-201 scintigraphy for detection of multivessel disease in patients with prior inferior myocardial infarction.

In order to compare the effectiveness of thaHium-201 (20111) myocardial perfusion scintigraphy and the exercise electrocardiogram for identifying patients with multivessel coronary artery disease, these noninvasive tests and coronary arteriography were performed in 89 patients with prior inferior wall myocardial infarction. Eighty patients performed an adequate exercise test (angina, ST-segment depression or achievement of 85 percent maximum age-predicted heart rate). Of these 80 patients, coronary angiography documented multivessel disease in 57 and single-vessel disease in the remaining 23. Of the 57 patients with multivessel disease, ‘#{176}1Tl correctly predicted multivessel disease in 58 percent and the exercise ECG was positive in 63 percent. Of the 23 patients with single vessel disease 20111 was negative for multis’essel disease in 91 percent,