A case report: 201Tl/99mTc-Pyrophosphate dual-isotope myocardial SPECT for detecting annular subendocardial infarction induced by a transient shock

SummaryThe patient was a 74-year-old woman with angina pectoris, who had undergone percutaneous coronary intervention with stent placement in the right coronary artery on October 2, 2007. On November 12 of the same year, she suffered from paroxysmal atrial fibrillation. She was treated with pilsicainide hydrochloride administered by intravenous injection, which was followed by a sudden sinus standstill, with marked bradycardia and a shock state. The patient was then treated with a catecholamine, however, the shock state persisted for about an hour. An electrocardiogram revealed persistent ST depression in leads V4–6 along with elevation of the serum creatinine kinase. A coronary angiography performed on the admission day revealed no abnormality. On the third hospital day, a dual-isotope myocardial SPECT using 201Tl and 99mTc-pyrophosphate demonstrated an annular accumulation of 99mTc-pyrophosphate concordant with the endocardium from apex to the mid-portion of the left ventricle, suggestive of subendocardial infarction. The case is reported here, as there are few reports of subendocardial infarction developing due to ischemia arising from a shock state.