Repeatability of Rest and Hyperemic Myocardial Blood Flow Measurements with 82Rb Dynamic PET

Abstract

The repeatability of rest and hyperemic myocardial blood flow (MBF) measurements using 82Rb PET has not been evaluated. The aim of this study was to investigate the short-term repeatability of such measurements. Fifteen healthy volunteers underwent rest and pharmacologic stress 82Rb PET, repeated 60 min apart. There was no significant difference in repeated rest MBF (0.77+/-0.25 vs. 0.82+/-0.25 mL/min/g, P=0.31; mean difference, 6.18%+/-12.22%) or repeated hyperemic MBF (3.35+/-1.37 vs. 3.39+/-1.37 mL/min/g, P=0.81; mean difference, 1.17%+/-13.64%). The repeatability coefficients were 0.19 mL/min/g for rest MBF and 0.92 mL/min/g for hyperemia. MBF using 82Rb is highly reproducible using a same-day short-term repeatability protocol. Serial MBF measurements with 82Rb PET should have the ability to quantify the acute effects of therapeutic interventions on MBF.