We have developed a completely automatic algorithm to quantitatively measure left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) from gated 99mTc-sestamibi myocardial perfusion SPECT images.
Methods: The algorithm operates in the three-dimensional space and uses gated short-axis image volumes. It segments the left ventricle (LV), estimates and displays endocardial and epicardial surfaces for all gating intervals in the cardiac cycle, calculates the relative left ventricular cavity volumes and derives the global EF from the end-diastolic and end-systolic volume, all without operator interaction. The algorithm for measuring LVEF was tested in 65 clinical patients undergoing 16-interval and 8-interval rest-gated SPECT and validated against first-pass radionuclide ventriculography.
Results: Automatic segmentation and contouring of the LV was successful in 65/65 (100%) of the studies. Agreement between EFs measured from 8-interval gated SPECT and EFs calculated from first-pass data was high (y = 2.44 + 1.03x, r = 0.909, p < 0.001, s.e.e. = 6.87). Agreement between EF values measured from 16-interval and 8-interval gated SPECT was excellent (y = -2.7 + 0.97x, r = 0.988, p < 0.001, s.e.e. = 2.65), the latter being on average lower by 3.71 percentage points.
Conclusion: Our automatic method is rapid and highly agrees with conventional radionuclide measurements of EF, thus providing clinically useful additional information to complement myocardial perfusion studies.