Usefulness of ECG gated SPECT for the patients with non-cardiac operation

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the usefulness of ECG synchronized quantitative gated SPECT(QGS) before non-cardiac surgical operation to evaluate the cardiac risk.Method: For two years since June 2000, we analyzed 39 operated patients which examined by QGS. We discussed relationship of their cardiac event(cardiac death, myocardial infarction, unstable angina, congestive heart failure, fatality arrhythmia, necessity of inotropic support to keep blood pressure) and QGS' data(LVESV, LVEF, perfusion image, wall thickening).Result: 1. Three patients' operations were canceled and four patients had cardiac event while or after operation among eight patients who showed abnormal LVEF and ESV. 2.Six patients had abnormal perfusion image and wall thickness. Among them, three patients had their operations canceled, the other three had cardiac events. Five patients had abnormal perfusion image or wall thickness, one of them had a cardiac event. 3. Five patients had cardiac events, two had PVC short run while operation and needed dripping infusion of anti arrhythmia drug. One had congestive heart failure post operation, the other two were free from heart failure but needed inotropic support to keep their blood pressure post operation.Conclusion: It may be possible to predict cardiac event while and after operation by analyzing QGS data and thus QGS is very useful for evaluate the cardiac function pre operation.