The evaluation of left ventricular dyssynchronization in patients with hypertension by phase analysis of myocardial perfusion-gated SPECT

Purpose Hypertension is one of the most important risk factors for cardiovascular disease. However, hypertension may also result in left ventricular dyssynchrony (LVD) which is characterized by delayed activation of certain ventricular segments leading to uncoordinated contraction. The aim of this study was to evaluate the LVD measured by phase analysis of gated single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) imaging in patients with hypertension. Methods We retrospectively reviewed the records of the patients who have referred to our institution for myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) with a diagnosis of cardiovascular disease. In this study, total of 196 patients (127 females and 69 males, with a mean age of 59.62 +/- 10.27 years) with and without hypertension (123 and 73, respectively) were included. Phase analysis parameters were compared in patients with and without hypertension which are derived using Emory Cardiac Toolbox. Among these 196 patients, 72 had echocardiography results. The findings of echocardiographic and phase analysis were also compared. Student's t test, Kruskal-Wallis, Mann-Whitney U test and Spearman correlation test were used to compare the results. Results There were statistically significant differences in the phase standard deviation (p = 0.005) and histogram bandwidth (p < 0.001) parameters of the phase analysis between the patients with and without hypertension groups, respectively. Furthermore, echocardiographic findings were significantly correlated with the result of the phase analysis. Conclusion This study suggested that routine use of phase analysis-gated SPECT imaging will be beneficial for the diagnosis of LVD.