Cor Vasa 2003, 44(6):318-322
Application of the method of metaiodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) uptake in heart failure patients
- 1 Klinika kardiologie
- 2 Radioizotopové pracoviště, Institut klinické a experimentální medicíny, Praha, Česká republika
Metaiodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) is a guanidine analog uptaken in the heart in analogy to noradrenaline. MIBG labeling with a radionuclide (I-123) allows to assess myocardial sympathetic activity and its changes.
In the normal heart, the activity in a chosen region of the left ventricle exceeds mediastinal activity approximately by a factor of 2.5. In the completely denervated heart, the ratio is close to 1. Patients with chronic heart failure show a decrease in the index, especially so in the advanced stage of the disease. Beta-blocker therapy results in increased accumulation correlating with the degree of LV function improvement. Use of this method in patients after heart transplantation allows to document complete graft denervation and resumption of sympathetic innervation, which occurs in some patients over time.
The aim of the paper is to point to some clinical applications of MIBG method in patients with chronic heart failure and in heart transplant recipients.
Keywords: Chronic heart failure; Metaiodobenzyl guanidine; Heart transplantation; Graft denervation
Published: June 1, 2003 Show citation