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The authors describe a miniature cadmium telluride (CdTe) detector module for continuous monitoring of ventricular function using an equilibrium radionuclide blood-pool label. The detector and collimator are small, light, and suitable for direct attachment to the chest wall. Clinical studies in 18 patients using a prototype system demonstrated reasonably good correlation with left-ventricular ejection fractions (LVEF) determined by first-pass studies performed with a multicrystal scintillation camera (r = 0.74) and gated equilibrium studies performed with a computerized sodium iodide (Nal) probe (r = 0.76). The CdTe device may prove to be useful in patients in intensive and coronary care units as well as in ambulatory patients.

The usefulness of adding the left lateral (LLAT) view to the standard anterior and left anterior oblique views in multigated equilibrium radionuclide angiocardiography was assessed in 50 patients. Contrast ventriculography was used as the standard. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used to assess results. Recognition of inferior wall motion abnormality and left ventricular aneurysms was improved significantly by the addition of the LLAT view. Sensitivity was improved for inferior wall motion abnormality and for aneurysms; there was no loss of specificity. There was no improvement in recognition of anterior wall and apical regional abnormalities in the absence of aneurysms.