Abstract:
Objective To compare the correlation and consistency of left ventricular ejection fraction(LVEF) obtained by electrocardiography gated myocardial perfusion SPECT(G-MPS) using the four formulas(R0-R3) in Emory cardiac toolbox(ECToolbox) software and by equilibrium radionuclide ventriculography(ERNV), and determine the optimal diagnostic thresholds of the four formulas.
Methods Sixty-three patients, including 23 patients with a history of myocardial infarction and 40 patients with suspected coronary heart disease, underwent both 99Tcm-MIBI rest G-MPS and 99Tcm labeled red blood cell ERNV within a week. The LVEF values calculated by R0, R1, R2 and R3 formulas of ECToolbox were compared with those obtained by ERNV. Using LVEF≥50% obtained by ERNV as the gold standard, the optimal diagnostic thresholds of the four formulas (R0-R3) were assessed by receiver operating characteristic(ROC) curve.
Results The mean LVEF of ERNV was 55.41%±17.49%. The mean LVEF values of the four formulas were 63.75%±16.63%, 55.87%±15.99%, 69.22%±18.83% and 56.32%±14.47%, respectively. On correlation analysis, a strong positive correlation was observed between LVEF values derived by ERNV and those derived by the four formulas(all r > 0.95, all P < 0.01). The differences of LVEF were statistically significant between ERNV and the two formulas R0 and R2(t=15.775 and 21.525, both P < 0.01), while between ERNV and the two formulas R1 and R3(t=0.848 and 1.448, both P > 0.05). Normal cutoff values for LVEF on R0, R1, R2, R3 were 56.5%, 51.5%, 64.5% and 52.5% respectively, using a 50% or more cutoff value on ERNV.
Conclusions A strong correlation was observed among the four formulas of ECToolbox software programs when compared with ERNV. However, there are subtle differences in the objective values of LVEF generated by individual calculation methods, which must be taken into account for clinical studies.