Regional cardiac adrenergic function using I-123 meta-iodobenzylguanidine tomographic imaging after acute myocardial infarction

The effect of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) on regional cardiac adrenergic function was studied in 27 patients mean ± standard deviation 10 ± 4 days after AMI. Regional adrenergk function was evaluated noninvasively with I-123 meta-iodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) using a dedicated 3-detector tomograph. Four hours after its administration, there was reduced MIBG uptake in the region of infarction, 0.38 ± 0.31 counts/pixel/mCi × 103 compared with 0.60 ± 0.30 counts/pixel/mCi × 103 and 0.92 ± 0.35 counts/pixel/mCi × 103 in the zones bordering and distant from the infarct area, respectively, p < 0.001. In all patients, the area of reduced MIBG uptake after 4 hours was more extensive than the associated thallium-201 perfusion defect with defect scores of 52 ± 22 and 23 ± 18%, respectively, p < 0.001. After anterior wall AMI, the 4-hour MIBG defect score was 70 ± 13% and the degree of mismatch between myocardial perfusion and MIBG uptake was 30 ± 9% compared with 39 ± 17 and 21 ± 17% after inferior AMI, p < 0.001 and p = 0.016, respectively. The 4-hour MIBG defect score correlated inversely with the predischarge left ventricular ejection fraction, r = −0.73, p < 0.001. Patients with ventricular arrhythmia of ≥1 ventricular premature complexes per hour, paired ventricular premature complexes or ventricular tachycardia detected during the late hospital phase had higher 4-hour MIBG defect scores, 62.5 ± 15.0%, than patients with no detectable complex ventricular ectopic activity and a ventricular premature complex frequency of