Prognostic Value of Dobutamine-Atropine Stress 99mTc-Tetrofosmin Myocardial Perfusion SPECT in Patients with Known or Suspected Coronary Artery Disease

99mTc-Tetrofosmin is a recently introduced radioactive isotope for the assessment of myocardial perfusion. Data regarding the prognostic value of stress imaging using this isotope are scarce. The aim of this study was to assess the prognostic value of dobutamine-atropine 99mTc-tetrofosmin SPECT for the predic-tion of late cardiac events in patients with known or suspected coronary artery disease. Methods: A total of 721 consecutive patients with limited exercise capacity underwent dobutamine-atropine stress 99mTc-tetrofosmin SPECT. Follow-up was suc-cessful in 719 of 721 patients (99.7%). Twenty-eight patients who underwent early revascularization were excluded. Results: Myocardial perfusion abnormalities were detected in 381 pa-tients (55%) and included fixed defects in 190 patients (27%) and reversible defects 191 patients (28%). During a mean fol-low-up period of 37 17 mo, there were 150 deaths (22%), o