Automatic quantification of right ventricular volumes and right ventricular ejection fraction with gated blood pool SPECT: Comparison of 8- and 16-frame gated blood pool SPECT with first-pass radionuclide angiography.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to compare 8- and 16-frame gated blood pool single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) (GBPS) for the determination of right ventricular ejection fraction (RVEF) and right ventricular (RV) volumes in subjects who underwent two consecutive GBPS studies.

METHODS AND RESULTS: In this study 65 consecutive patients (29 men and 36 women) referred for first-pass radionuclide angiography (FP-RNA) underwent FP-RNA and both 8- and 16-frame GBPS. The mean FP-RNA RVEF was statistically lower than RVEF determined by 8-frame GBPS (P < .001) and 16-frame GBPS (P < .001). Comparison of RVEF by FP-RNA and GBPS yielded coefficients of 0.8666 (P < .0001) for 16-frame GBPS and 0.7290 (P < .0001) for 8-frame GBPS. The correlation of RVEF between 8- and 16-frame GBPS showed a coefficient of 0.6657 (P < .0001). The mean RV end-diastolic volume (EDV) calculated with 8- and 16-frame GBPS showed no statistical differences (P = .3580). The mean RV end-systolic volume (ESV) calculated with 8- and 16-frame GBPS also showed no statistical differences (P = .2265). Comparison of EDV by 8- and 16-frame GBPS yielded a coefficient of 0.7327 (P < .0001). The correlation between ESV by 8-frame GBPS and 16-frame GBPS showed a coefficient of 0.6067 (P < .0001).

CONCLUSION: GBPS is a simple and reproducible acquisition method for the assessment of RVEF and RV volumes. RVEF values calculated by 8- and 16-frame GBPS correlated well with FP-RNA, although mean RVEF values from FP-RNA were lower than GBPS RVEF values. In addition, RV ESV and EDV were both well correlated with 8- and 16-frame GBPS. GBPS should prove to be useful in diagnosis, as well as in following disease progression and evaluating the efficacy of therapeutic interventions, in patients with biventricular dysfunction.