TY - JOUR T1 - Usefulness of myocardial perfusion SPECT in patients with left bundle branch block and previous myocardial infarction JF - Heart JO - Heart SP - 1039 LP - 1042 DO - 10.1136/heart.89.9.1039 VL - 89 IS - 9 AU - J Candell-Riera AU - G Oller-Martínez AU - O Pereztol-Valdés AU - J Castell-Conesa AU - S Aguadé-Bruix AU - M Soler-Peter AU - M Simó AU - C Santana-Boado AU - J Soler-Soler Y1 - 2003/09/01 UR - http://heart.bmj.com/content/89/9/1039.abstract N2 - Background: The diagnostic value of myocardial perfusion scintigraphy in patients with left bundle branch block (LBBB) and previous acute myocardial infarction has not been evaluated. Objective: To determine the utility of single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) in patients with LBBB and previous acute myocardial infarction. Methods: Seventy two consecutive patients with permanent LBBB and previous acute myocardial infarction were studied with stress-rest SPECT using 99mTc compounds. The same stress procedures were followed in all patients: (1) exercise alone when it was sufficient; (2) exercise plus simultaneous administration of dipyridamole if exercise was insufficient. Results: In 26 of 28 patients (93%) who had a Q wave acute myocardial infarct before the development of LBBB, there was concordance between abnormal Q waves and rest SPECT in the localisation of myocardial necrosis (κ = 0.836; p = 0.0001). In 48 patients who had coronary angiography, the positive predictive value of exercise (+dipyridamole) myocardial SPECT for the diagnosis of left anterior descending coronary artery stenosis was 93%, for left circumflex coronary artery stenosis, 96%, and for right coronary artery stenosis, 89%. Specificity values were 83%, 91%, and 69%, respectively. However, sensitivity (69%, 64%, and 89%) and negative predictive values (48%, 46%, and 82%) were suboptimal. Conclusions: Rest myocardial perfusion SPECT with technetium compounds is useful for localising healed myocardial infarction in patients with LBBB, and exercise (+dipyridamole) SPECT has a high positive predictive value and specificity for the diagnosis of coronary stenosis in these patients. ER -