Myocardial perfusion SPECT in Australia: Acquisition parameters

Introduction: Despite clear guidelines provided by the Society of Nuclear Medicine (SNM) and the American Society of Nuclear Cardiology (ASNC), there is no universally accepted consensus on acquisition protocols for myocardial perfusion SPECT. Methodology: This study was a self administered, anonymous questionnaire of current acquisition procedures employed for myocardial perfusion SPECT across Australia. The sampling frame comprised 136 Nuclear Medicine departments across Australia including all departments accredited by the Australia and New Zealand Society of Nuclear Medicine (ANZSNM). Results: With respect to the recommended acquisition parameters outlined by both the SNM and the ASNC, only 14.9% (15/101) of Australian nuclear medicine departments comply with minimum standards. This translates to 17.4% (235/1351) of studies performed weekly in Australia. The stress study only is gated for 58.6% (58/99) of departments (95% CI: 44.6% to 73.7%) while no gating is performed in 9.1% (9/99) of departments (95% CI: 4.9% to 16.4%). The rest study only is gated in 4.0% (4/99) of departments and both stress and rest studies are gated in 28.3% (28/99) of departments. Conclusion: While the principle of gated myocardial perfusion SPECT is without debate there is a requirement for investigation and guidelines for optimisation of acquisition protocols.