Long-term additive prognostic value of thallium-201 myocardial perfusion imaging over clinical and exercise stress test in low to intermediate risk patients : study in 1137 patients with 6-year follow-up.

BACKGROUND: The exercise treadmill test (ETT) and Tl201 single proton emission computed tomography (SPECT) are of short- to medium-term prognostic value in coronary heart disease. We assessed the long-term prognostic value of these tests in a large population of patients with low- to intermediate risk of cardiac events.

METHODS AND RESULTS: One thousand one hundred thirty-seven patients (857 men, age 55+/-9 years) referred for typical (62.1%) or atypical (22.4%) chest pain, or suspected silent ischemia (15.5%), were followed up for 72+/-18 months. Overall mortality was higher after strongly positive (ST depression >2 mm, or >1 mm for a workload /=3 abnormal segments on SPECT, respectively (P<0.002). An abnormal SPECT was predictive of MI (P<0.001), whereas ETT was not. In multivariate analysis, SPECT was of incremental prognostic value over clinical and ETT data for predicting overall mortality and major cardiac events.

CONCLUSIONS: The incremental predictive value of SPECT is maintained over 6 years and is particularly relevant after positive, strongly positive, and nondiagnostic ETT.