Relationship of quantitative parameters of myocardial perfusion SPECT and ventricular arrhythmia in patients receiving cardiac resynchronization therapy

Background Ventricular arrhythmia is the major cause of sudden cardiac death for patients with heart failure, including those receiving implantation of cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT). The purpose of this study was to assess the value of myocardial perfusion SPECT (MPS) in predicting ventricular arrhythmia for patients with CRT. Methods and methods Fifty-one patients (35 males, mean age 64 ± 12 years) who had received CRT for at least 6 months were enrolled for resting gated MPS. Three main quantitative parameters of MPS, including extent of myocardial scar, left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and LV dyssynchrony (phase SD), were generated by Emory Cardiac Toolbox. Using the recorded ventricular arrhythmia in the device, including ventricular tachycardia (VT) and ventricular fibrillation (VF), as the primary end point, the value of quantitative parameters of MPS in predicting the development of VT/VF was assessed. Results Twenty (39 %) of the 51 patients developed VT/VF during the follow-up (15.3 ± 12.7 months). The patients with VT/VF had significantly lower LVEF (24 ± 12 vs. 36 ± 17 %, p