What is a reversible perfusion defect?

Stress-induced perfusion abnormalities in regions that exhibit normal perfusion at rest are termed reversible perfusion defects, and such regions represent viable, ischemic tissue with blunted coronary blood flow reserve.

What is a reversible heart defect?

A coronary stenosis is detected when a myocardial segment takes up the nuclear tracer at rest, but not during cardiac stress. This is called a “reversible defect.” Scarred myocardium from prior infarct will not take up tracer at all and is referred to as a “fixed defect.”

What is reversible ischemia on stress test?

These defects are classified as “reversible” if they are present on the stress images, but not the rest images, or “fixed” if they are present on both the stress and rest images. Reversible defects are consistent with the presence of ischemia, while fixed defects are consistent with the presence of scar tissue.

What does perfusion defect mean?

Fourth, myocardial perfusion defects (F2, F3)—regions in the LV myocardium in which blood flow has been obstructed—are detected qualitatively and semiquantitatively. Perfusion defects are apparent qualitatively as gray-black blotches pervading the LV myocardium (F2, F3).

How is ischemia of the heart treated?

The goal of myocardial ischemia treatment is to improve blood flow to the heart muscle….Medications to treat myocardial ischemia include:

  1. Aspirin.
  2. Nitrates.
  3. Beta blockers.
  4. Calcium channel blockers.
  5. Cholesterol-lowering medications.
  6. Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors.
  7. Ranolazine (Ranexa).

Is ischemia the same as blockage?

The reduced blood flow is usually the result of a partial or complete blockage of your heart’s arteries (coronary arteries). Myocardial ischemia, also called cardiac ischemia, reduces the heart muscle’s ability to pump blood. A sudden, severe blockage of one of the heart’s artery can lead to a heart attack.

What causes perfusion defect?

Conclusions: Perfusion defects are associated with an increase in pulmonary artery pressure (PAP) and functional limitation. Age, longer times between symptom onset and diagnosis, initial pulmonary vascular obstruction and previous venous thromboembolism were associated with perfusion defects.

How accurate is a myocardial perfusion scan?

A mycocardial perfusion scan is an imaging study that shows how well blood flows through the heart muscle. The sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of cardiac imaging with single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) is between 44 percent and 70 percent depending on the blood vessels involved.