Prognostic value of 201Tl myocardial scintigraphy after coronary artery bypass grafting

Background Tl myocardial scintigraphy (Tl SPECT) is of strong prognostic value in various populations with suspected or known coronary artery disease. However, its value in patients with coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) is not fully assessed.Methods We examined 115 consecutive patients to determine the relation between clinical data/stress Tl SPECT performed 5±3 years after CABG, and subsequent cardiac events.Results Thirteen patients (11%) had stress-induced angina, 22 (19%) had electrical positivity, and 97 (84%) had abnormal scintigraphy, including 62 (54%) with reversible defects. During follow-up (35±22 months), there were nine cardiac deaths, seven myocardial infarctions, and 20 revascularization procedures. Multivariate Cox analysis identified the delay between CABG and scintigraphy (P