What is the prognostic value of dobutamine stress technetium-99m-sestamibi single-photon emission computed tomography myocardial perfusion imaging?
The prognostic value of dobutamine stress technetium-99m-sestamibi single-photon emission computed tomography myocardial perfusion imaging has been studied and it has been found to be able to stratify patients into high-risk populations. This is based on a study by Calnon et al. (2001) which found that this type of imaging was able to predict death and myocardial infarction in patients with known or suspected ischemic heart disease. Additionally, Sawada et al. (2007) found that stress-induced wall motion abnormalities with low-dose dobutamine infusion indicate the presence of severe disease and vulnerable myocardium. Therefore, this type of imaging is useful for prognostic purposes. 