Prognostic value of computer-quantitated exercise thallium imaging early after percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty

D. Douglas Miller, Peter Liu, H. William Strauss, Peter C. Block, Robert D. Okada, Charles A. Boucher

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

41 Scopus citations

Abstract

To develop an approach to predicting adverse events after percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA), 50 patients had thallium-201 exercise testing within 1 month after successful single vessel coronary angioplasty and were followed up for a mean of 18 months. Adverse events were: 1) clinical events consisting of recurrent angina (17 patients) and myocardial infarction (1 patient); 2) treatment events consisting of repeat coronary angioplasty (10 patients) and coronary bypass surgery (1 patient); and 3) restenosis, denned as a >30% increase in luminal stenosis (15 of 38 recatheterized patients). There were no deaths. Of the clinical, exercise, angiographic and thallium scan variables analyzed by stepwise logistic regression, postangioplasty gradient >20 mm Hg predicted clinical events and treatment events, and the number of segments with slower thallium clearance predicted clinical events, treatment events and restenosis. Using Cox Hazards model regression of survival without events, the number of transient qualitative thallium defects also predicted clinical events and restenosis. At 1 year after angioplasty, 24% of patients with these variables had restenosis compared with only 6% of those without these variables and 36% of patients with these variables had a clinical or treatment event compared with 8% of patients without these variables. Three measures of the adequacy of myocardial perfusion (postangioplasty gradient, reduced thallium clearance and transient thallium defects) were additive predictors of adverse events after coronary angioplasty with the relative risk being approximately four times greater in patients with these variables than in those without. Such adverse events, therefore, are usually a consequence of inadequate revascularization.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)275-283
Number of pages9
JournalJournal of the American College of Cardiology
Volume10
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - 1987
Externally publishedYes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine

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