Myocardial Sympathetic Innervation in Patients with Symptomatic Coronary Artery Disease: Follow-up After 1 Year with Neurostimulation

Abstract

In patients with stable chronic coronary artery disease, sympathetic innervation of the myocardium is almost unchanged in both diabetic and nondiabetic patients in a 1-y follow-up. In myocardial segments with severely altered blood supply, a small but significant decrease in (11)C-HED retention most probably reflects ischemic neuronal damage. The prognostic relevance of sympathetic denervation in viable myocardium still has to be determined.