Positron emission tomography demonstrates that coronary sinus retroperfusion can restore regional myocardial perfusion and preserve metabolism

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Positron emission tomography was used to image blood flow and metabolic tracers in risk zone myocardium after left anterior descending coronary artery occlusion during synchronized coronary venous retroperfusion. Six control and seven intervention open chest dogs had occlusion of the mid left anterior descending coronary artery. Synchronized retroperfusion commenced 25 min later. Flow tracers (rubidium-82 and nitrogen-13 ammonia) were injected retrogradely. Three hours after coronary occlusion, fluorine-18 (F-18) deoxyglucose uptake in the control and treatment groups was compared. At 200 min of occlusion, infarct size was assessed.

Retrograde flow tracer uptake was observed in the risk zone in the seven intervention dogs. Fluorine-18 deoxyglucose uptake in the risk zone was increased in five of the six intervention dogs but was reduced in five of the six control dogs. The risk zone to normal zone F-18 deoxyglucose count ratio was higher in the intervention

than the control group (1.13 ± 0.39 vs. 0.59 ± 0.51; p < 0.05). The endocardial subsegment risk zone to normal zone F-18 deoxyglucose count ratio was also significantly higher in the intervention group. Percent infarction in the risk zone was 70% lower in the group treated with synchronized retroperfusion than in the control group (18.4 ± 22.6% vs. 61.2 ± 25.4%; p < 0.02).

Thus, positron emission tomography revealed that retroperfusion could deliver oxygenated blood and maintain metabolism in risk zone myocardium. Infarct size was limited to 30% of that of control. In acute closure of the left anterior descending coronary artery, synchronized retroperfusion might be considered for maintaining viability of the jeopardized myocardium if the artery cannot be reopened rapidly.

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From the Division of Nuclear Medicine and Biophysics, Department of Radiological Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles; Laboratory of Nuclear Medicine, Laboratory of Biomedical and Environmental Sciences, Los Angeles; and the Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, and the University of California, Los Angeles School of Medicine, Los Angeles, California. The Laboratory of Biomedical and Environmental Sciences is operated for the U.S. Department of Energy by the University of California under Contract DE-FC03-87ER60615.

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Present address: George T. O'Byrne, MD, 629 Idaho Avenue, Suite 12, Santa Monica, California 90403.