Imaging myocardial perfusion with [99mTc] Tc-HMPAO: Fiction or reality? – Preliminary results
Authors:   Nuclear Medicine Department, Centro Hospitalar Universitário de São João, E.P.E., Alameda Professor Hernâni Monteiro, 4200- 319, Porto, Portugal., Faria Maria Teresa , Vilas-Boas Maria do Carmo ,   Institute for Systems Engineering and Computers, Technology and Science (INESC TEC), Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200-465, Porto, Portugal., Maia Paulo ,   Institute for Systems Engineering and Computers, Technology and Science (INESC TEC), Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200-465, Porto, Portugal., Barata Pedro ,   Faculty of Health Sciences, University Fernando Pessoa, Rua Carlos da Maia, 296, 4200-150, Porto, Portugal., Oliveira Ana ,   Nuclear Medicine Department, Centro Hospitalar Universitário de São João, E.P.E., Alameda Professor Hernâni Monteiro, 4200- 319, Porto, Portugal., Rego Ricardo ,   Neurophysiology Unit, Neurology Department, Centro Hospitalar Universitário de São João, E.P.E., Alameda Professor Hernâni Monteiro, 4200-319, Porto, Portugal., Sousa Joel ,   Department of Angiology and Vascular Surgery, Centro Hospitalar Universitário de São João, E.P.E., Alameda Professor Hernâni Monteiro, 4200-319, Porto, Portugal, Pereira Jorge ,   uclear Medicine Department, Centro Hospitalar Universitário de São João, E.P.E., Alameda Professor Hernâni Monteiro, 4200- 319, Porto, Portugal., Rocha-Gonçalves Francisco ,   Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Alameda Professor Hernâni Monteiro, 4200-319, Porto, Portugal., Cunha João Paulo Silva ,   Institute for Systems Engineering and Computers, Technology and Science (INESC TEC), Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200-465, Porto, Portugal., Martins Elisabete ,   Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Alameda Professor Hernâni Monteiro, 4200-319, Porto, Portugal.
Published: April 2022

Introduction and objectives: [ 99mTc] Tc-HMPAO, developed for brain imaging, is taken up by the heart, but never used to study it. We aimed to compare cardiac images with [99mTc] Tc-HMPAO and [ 99mTc] Tc-Tetrofosmin, using imaging techniques. Materials and methods: Cardiac gated SPECTs with [99mTc] Tc-HMPAO were compared with myocardial perfusion scintigraphies (MPS) with [99mTc] Tc-Tetrofosmin in three inpatients, from the vascular surgery ward. We developed algorithms in MATLAB R2016 to compare the [99mTc] Tc-Tetrofosmin/ [99mTc] Tc-HMPAO images. Pixel-wise correlations for slices, reversibility, and polar maps were obtained. Results: Correlations of both radiotracers’ myocardial images were as high as 0.93. Polar maps correlations were 0.93-0.95 (for both stress and rest) and 0.62-0.90 (reversibility). One of the patients (smoker) had significant lung [99mTc] Tc-HMPAO uptake. Conclusions: Cardiac SPECT with [99mTc] Tc-HMPAO might be a screening method for myocardial ischemia in non-smoking patients with epilepsy suspected of having heart changes, and who need to perform a brain perfusion SPECT. Keywords: myocardial perfusion scintigraphy; epilepsy; HMPAO; myocardial SPECT.