Effects of depression on myocardial perfusion scintigraphy

The relationship between depression and coronary artery disease is well established; however assessment of this relationship using functional and semi-quantitative imaging (myocardial perfusion scintigraphy) was lacking. The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between the severity of depression and the severity of myocardial perfusion abnormality. Patients were assessed with rest/stress 99mTc-MIBI myocardial perfusion scintigraphy using Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT) and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II). Visual and semi-quantitative assessment of myocardial perfusion score (MPS) in a five-scale measurement for standard 20-segment-model were used. When all patients (n=167) were evaluated, no correlation was found between MPS and BDI-score. Considering only those with significant perfusion abnormality (MPS95) (p=0.097), but other myocardial walls failed to show such association. In patients with significant perfusion abnormality, the greater is this abnormality the more severe is the depression. Also patients with inferior wall infarction, have a higher BDI-score as compared with normal subjects.