Reliability and feasibility of visual grading systems and quantitative indexes on [ 99m Tc]Tc-DPD imaging for cardiac amyloidosis

We aimed to evaluate the reliability and feasibility of visual grading systems and various quantitative indexes of [ 99m Tc]Tc-DPD imaging for cardiac amyloidosis (CA). Patients who underwent [ 99m Tc]Tc-DPD imaging with suspicion of CA were enrolled. On the planar image, myocardial uptake was visually graded using Perugini’s and Dorbala’s methods (PS and DS). As [ 99m Tc]Tc-DPD indexes, heart-to-whole body ratio (H/WB) and heart-to-contralateral lung ratio (H/CL) were measured on planar image. SUVmax, SUVmean, total myocardial uptake (TMU), and C-index were measured on SPECT/CT. Inter-observer agreement of the indexes and their association with visual grading and clinical factors were evaluated. A total of 152 [ 99m Tc]Tc-DPD images, of which 18 were positive, were analyzed. Inter-observer agreement was high for both DS (κ = 0.95) and PS (κ = 0.96). However, DS showed a higher correlation with quantitative indexes than PS. Inter-observer agreement was also high for SPECT/CT indexes, particularly SUVmax. SUVmax was significantly different between different DS groups ( P = 0.014–0.036), and showed excellent correlations with H/WB and H/CL ( r = 0.898 and 0.910). SUVmax also showed significant differences between normal, AL, and ATTR pathology ( P = 0.022–0.037), and a significant correlation with extracellular volume on cardiac MRI ( r = 0.772, P < 0.001). DS is a visual grading system for CA that is more significantly matched with quantitative indexes than PS. SUVmax is a reliable quantitative index on SPECT/CT, with a high inter-observer agreement, correlations with the visual grade, and potential association with cardiac MRI findings.