Thallium-201 myocardial imaging in patients with dilated and ischaemic cardiomyopathy.

Abstract

Ischaemic cardiomyopathy and dilated cardiomyopathy may be clinically indistinguishable and cardiac catheterisation is often required to differentiate between them. We have described the thallium-201 scintigraphic appearances both on exercise and after redistribution in 13 patients with ischaemic cardiomyopathy and 11 patients with dilated cardiomyopathy and have assessed the usefulness of this non-invasive technique in distinguishing between the two groups.