201Tl SPECT abnormalities, documented at rest in dilated cardiomyopathy, are related to a lower than normal myocardial thickness but not to an excess in myocardial wall stress.

Abstract

In patients with dilated cardiomyopathy, the abnormalities documented by (201)Tl SPECT at rest are related to a lower than normal wall thickness and not to an excess in wall stress or tension. Therefore, partial-volume effects are likely to induce these abnormalities, and they may be unrelated to any insufficiency of myocardial perfusion.