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The ultrashort-lived radionuclide krypton-81m, eluted in 5% dextrose from a bedside rubidium-81m generator, was intravenously infused for rapid imaging of the right-sided heart chambers in the right anterior oblique projection adjusted for optimal right atrioventricular separation. Left-sided heart and lung background was minimized by rapid decay and efficient exhalation of krypton-81m, requiring no algorithm for background correction. A double region of interest method decreased the variability in the assessment of ejection fraction to 5%. In 10 normal subjects, 11 patients with pulmonary hypertension, 4 patients with right ventricular outflow tract obstruction and 4 patients with right ventricular infarction, right ventricular ejection fraction determined by krypton-81m equilibrium blood pool imaging ranged from 14 to 76%. The correlation between these values and those determined by cineangiography according to Simpson's rule was close: r = 0.93 for all data points (p less than 0.001), r = 0.92 for studies at rest (p less than 0.001) and r = 0.93 for exercise studies (p less than 0.001). Exercise-related changes in right ventricular function revealed a disturbed functional reserve with pulmonary hypertension and right ventricular infarction, whereas in compensated right ventricular outflow tract obstruction there was a physiologic increase in ejection fraction with exercise (p less than 0.001). Thus, equilibrium-gated right ventricular imaging using ultrashort-lived krypton-81m is a simple, accurate and reproducible method with potential for serial assessment of right ventricular ejection fraction in a variety of right ventricular anatomic and functional abnormalities, both at rest and during exercise. Advantages of this method include an extremely low radiation dose to patients and clear right atrioventricular separation without the need to correct for background activity.
C A Nienaber, and
R P Spielmann, and
G Wasmus, and
D G Mathey, and
R Montz, and
W H Bleifeld
June 1983,
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C A Nienaber, and
R P Spielmann, and
G Wasmus, and
D G Mathey, and
R Montz, and
W H Bleifeld
December 1993,
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C A Nienaber, and
R P Spielmann, and
G Wasmus, and
D G Mathey, and
R Montz, and
W H Bleifeld
March 1987,
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C A Nienaber, and
R P Spielmann, and
G Wasmus, and
D G Mathey, and
R Montz, and
W H Bleifeld
January 1979,
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C A Nienaber, and
R P Spielmann, and
G Wasmus, and
D G Mathey, and
R Montz, and
W H Bleifeld
November 1993,
Journal of nuclear medicine : official publication, Society of Nuclear Medicine,
C A Nienaber, and
R P Spielmann, and
G Wasmus, and
D G Mathey, and
R Montz, and
W H Bleifeld
July 1986,
Thorax,
C A Nienaber, and
R P Spielmann, and
G Wasmus, and
D G Mathey, and
R Montz, and
W H Bleifeld
January 1986,
Bulletin europeen de physiopathologie respiratoire,
C A Nienaber, and
R P Spielmann, and
G Wasmus, and
D G Mathey, and
R Montz, and
W H Bleifeld
October 1987,
Nihon Kyobu Shikkan Gakkai zasshi,
C A Nienaber, and
R P Spielmann, and
G Wasmus, and
D G Mathey, and
R Montz, and
W H Bleifeld
January 2013,
Revista espanola de medicina nuclear e imagen molecular,
C A Nienaber, and
R P Spielmann, and
G Wasmus, and
D G Mathey, and
R Montz, and
W H Bleifeld
September 1983,
The British journal of radiology,
