The performance of phase analysis of gated SPECT myocardial perfusion imaging in the presence of perfusion defects: A simulation study

Abstract

BackgroundPhase analysis has been developed and validated to measure left-ventricular dyssynchrony from gated SPECT myocardial perfusion imaging. The purpose of this study is to evaluate its performance in regions with perfusion defects. MethodsA special version of the eXtended CArdiac Torso digital phantom was developed to track B-spline points in each temporal frame. A region of 35 B-spline points in the inferior wall with normal and abnormal perfusion uptakes were simulated. Phase shifts were simulated in the same region, representing dyssynchronous contraction. Gated SPECT data were analyzed using a modified phase analysis algorithm, which tracked the same 35 B-spline points to calculate their phases. ResultsPhases and phase shifts measured in the B-spline points with perfusion uptake in the range of 50%-10% did not significantly differ from those measured in the same B-spline points with normal perfusion uptake. ConclusionPhase analysis can accurately measure phases in regions with abnormal perfusion uptake as low as 10% of the perfusion uptake in the normal regions, which corresponded to a regional signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of 12.0 or greater. In 42 consecutive patients with myocardial infarction >20% of the left ventricle, only two patients had a SNR within the perfusion defects below that threshold.