We measured left ventricular (LV) systolic thickening expressed as a systolic thickening ratio in 28 patients, using 201Tl ECG-gated SPECT. Five normals, 15 patients with prior myocardial infarction, 5 with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, and 3 with dilated cardiomyopathy were studied. The systolic thickening ratio was calculated as [(end-systolic--end-diastolic pixel counts) divided by end-diastolic pixel counts], using the circumferential profile technique of both end-diastolic and end-systolic short axial images. Functional images of the systolic thickening ratio were also displayed with the "bull's-eye" method. The mean systolic thickening ratio thus calculated were as follows: normals, 0.53 +/- 0.05 (mean +/- 1 s.d.); non-transmural prior myocardial infarction, 0.33 +/- 0.09; transmural prior myocardial infarction, 0.14 +/- 0.05; hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in relatively nonhypertrophied areas, 0.56 +/- 0.11; hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in hypertrophied areas, 0.23 +/- 0.07; and dilated cardiomyopathy, 0.19 +/- 0.02. The systolic thickening ratio analysis by gated thallium SPECT offers a unique approach for assessing LV function.