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Biomedical subjects

F Prigent

Publications and source records attributed to F Prigent.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1989

"Upward creep" of the heart: a frequent source of false-positive reversible defects during thallium-201 stress-redistribution SPECT.

A new cause of artifactual 201Tl defects on single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) termed "upward creep" of the heart is described. In 102 consecutive patients undergoing 201Tl SPECT, 30 (29%) demonstrated upward creep defined by an upward movement of the heart of greater than or equal to 2 pixels during acquisition. In 45 consecutive patients with a less than 5% likelihood of coronary artery disease, 17 (38%) had upward creep. Of these nine had reversible 201Tl defects localized to the inferior and basal inferoseptal walls, while none of the 28 without upward creep had defects. The 17 low likelihood patients with upward creep had longer exercise duration and higher peak heart rate than those without upward creep. In five additional low likelihood patients with upward creep in whom imaging was immediately repeated, the upward creep pattern disappeared on the repeated images. After we changed our test protocol to begin imaging 15 min postexercise, only five (14%) of 36 low likelihood patients tested demonstrated upward creep. Upward creep is probably related to a transient increase in mean total lung volume early following exhaustive exercise, resulting in a mean lower position of the diaphragm (and thus the heart) at the beginning of imaging. The frequency of this source of false-positive 201Tl studies can be reduced by delaying SPECT acquisition until 15 min postexercise.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Patient motion in thallium-201 myocardial SPECT imaging. An easily identified frequent source of artifactual defect.

Because Tl-201 SPECT requires that patients remain in an awkward position for a prolonged time, patient motion is a potentially serious source of artifactual defects on tomographic reconstructions. Thus, a simple method was developed for detection and correction of motion from SPECT images using a Co-57 point source placed on the lower anterior chest, an area remaining in the camera's field of view throughout imaging. In the absence of motion, this point source inscribes a straight line on planar summation of the 32 projections over 180 degrees. Movement is detected by deviation from this line. The number of pixels of motion is used to shift images so that the resultant images of the point source are linear. The method of motion detection and correction was tested in 48 consecutive patients undergoing Tl-201 SPECT. The corrected and uncorrected images were reconstructed and long and short axis tomographic cuts were quantitatively analyzed using circumferential profiles of maximal counts with comparison to the lower limits of normal. Motion was detected in eight of 48 patients (17%). The amount of motion was 2 pixels in three patients and 1 pixel in five patients. Quantitative defect extent was less after correction in seven of eight patients, with a mean decrease of 71% in patients with 2 pixel motion and 44% in patients with 1 pixel motion. This corresponded with a definite reduction in the size of the tomographic defect by visual analysis, and closer resemblance to quantitatively analyzed planar images performed either before or after tomography in the same patient.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Controlled study of plasma exchange in pemphigus.

To determine the potential steroid sparing effect of plasma exchange in pemphigus we enrolled 40 patients in a multicenter randomized study. Eighteen patients were treated by prednisolone alone, 22 by prednisolone plus ten large-volume plasma exchanges over four weeks. All patients received oral prednisolone in the same initial dosage (0.5 mg/kg/d), which was increased weekly if needed. The number of cases controlled at each therapeutic step did not differ between the two groups. In eight cases, four in each group, the disease was not controlled by the highest therapeutic step of the protocol, with four deaths from sepsis in the plasma exchange group. The controlled cases needed similar cumulative prednisolone doses (5237 +/- 5512 mg in the plasma exchange group vs 4246 +/- 1601 mg in the control group). The evolution of serum pemphigus antibody was not different in the two groups. These findings suggest that plasma exchange in association with low steroid doses alone are not effective in the treatment of pemphigus and may even promote sepsis.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Comparative methods for quantifying myocardial infarct size by thallium-201 SPECT.

Maximum-count circumferential profile analysis of 201TI single photon emission computed tomograms (SPECT) was employed to quantify infarct size (15) in ten dogs with acute closed chest coronary occlusion (seven left anterior descending coronary artery and three left circumflex coronary artery) who underwent rest-redistribution 201TI SPECT. The extent of hypoperfused myocardium was calculated as a percentage of slice mass on rest-redistribution 201TI SPECT. Pathologic IS was determined by triphenyl tetrazolium chloride (TTC) staining. On each tomogram, SPECT IS was defined as the % of the maximum-count circumferential profile points falling below normal. To calculate total LV infarct size, slice ISs were added to one another after each was multiplied by a coefficient K that reflected the contribution of that slice to the total left ventricular mass. K was derived from an observed relationship in normal dogs between slice fractional distance from the apex and either its actual weight, its geometric SPECT area, or its count-based SPECT area, the assessment of which was independent of edge detection. Using any of these algorithms, there was a high linear correlation between the tomographic and TTC IS. A similar algorithm was also developed from tomograms of eight normal patients. These data offer promise for the clinical noninvasive assessment of the extent of hypoperfused myocardium.

Algorithms↗
PubMed1986

Noninvasive quantification of the extent of jeopardized myocardium in patients with single-vessel coronary disease by stress thallium-201 single-photon emission computerized rotational tomography.

In 22 patients with single-vessel coronary artery disease and no history of infarction, stress Tl-201 rotational tomography was used to quantify the extent of jeopardized myocardium. The vertical long- and short-axis tomograms were quantified by means of maximum-count circumferential profile analysis. The scintigraphic extent of jeopardized myocardium was expressed as the percentage of profile points falling 2.5 standard deviations below a previously established mean normal profile and was correlated to a quantitatively expressed angiographic extent of jeopardized myocardium. The extent of jeopardized myocardium varied from 1% to 55% by tomography and 8% to 50% by angiography and correlated with an r = 0.79 and a 10% standard error of the estimate. Defect intensity, reflecting the mean depth by which the abnormal points fell below the normal value of greater than or equal to 10%, was 100% specific for a coronary stenosis of greater than or equal to 70%. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that: patients with single-vessel disease have highly variable extents of hypoperfused myocardium defined by Tl-201 tomography and coronary arteriography, there is a fair relationship between angiographic jeopardy score and perfusion defects by Tl-201 tomography during exercise, and Tl-201 tomography may be used to noninvasively determine the extent of hypoperfused myocardium in coronary artery disease.

Aged↗
PubMed1986

Quantification of myocardial infarct size by thallium-201 single-photon emission computed tomography: experimental validation in the dog.

To evaluate the potential advantages of thallium-201 (201T1) single-photon emission computerized tomography (SPECT) to assess myocardial infarct size in the experimental animal, six normal dogs and 14 dogs with 6 to 8 hr closed-chest coronary occlusion (eight left anterior descending and six left circumflex) were studied. Ten minutes after intravenous administration of 2 mCi of 201T1, 30 projections were obtained over 180 degrees. The dogs were killed and their hearts sliced and stained by triphenyl tetrazolium chloride (TTC). Pathologic infarct size was calculated for each slice and for the entire left ventricular myocardium as percent weight. Tomograms were quantified by automatically generating maximum-count circumferential profiles, which were compared with normal limit profiles derived from the six normal dogs. Tomographic infarct size was defined as the percentage of circumferential points falling below normal for each tomogram. SPECT and TTC infarct size on 71 slices correlated highly (mean +/- SD 27.9 +/- 23.4% and 26.7 +/- 25.3%, respectively; r = .93, p less than .001, SEE = 9.4%). To determine SPECT infarct size as percent total left ventricular myocardial weight, infarct sizes from each slice were added to one another after each was multiplied by a coefficient that reflected the contribution of that slice to the total left ventricular weight. SPECT and TTC infarct size for the entire left ventricle correlated closely (mean +/- SD 20.5 +/- 7.6% and 19.3 +/- 8.3%, respectively; r = .86, p less than .001, SEE = 4.5%). It is concluded that 201T1 SPECT is a valid method for the noninvasive assessment of experimental myocardial infarct size.

Animals↗