Background-The relationship between the amount of inducible ischemia present on stress myocardial perfusion single photon emission computed tomography (myocardial perfusion stress [MPS]) and the presence of a short-term survival benefit with early revascularization versus medical therapy is not clearly defined. Methods and Results-A total of 10 627 consecutive patients who underwent exercise or adenosine MPS and had no prior myocardial infarction or revascularization were followed up (90.6% complete; mean: 1.9Ϯ0.6 years). Cardiac death occurred in 146 patients (1.4%). Treatment received within 60 days after MPS defined subgroups undergoing revascularization (671 patients, 2.8% mortality) or medical therapy (MT) (9956 patients, 1.3% mortality; Pϭ0.0004).To adjust for nonrandomization of treatment, a propensity score was developed using logistic regression to model the decision to refer to revascularization. This model ( 2 ϭ1822, c indexϭ0.94, PϽ10 Ϫ7 ) identified inducible ischemia and anginal symptoms as the most powerful predictors (83%, 6% of overall 2 ) and was incorporated into survival models. On the basis of the Cox proportional hazards model predicting cardiac death ( 2 ϭ539, PϽ0.0001), patients undergoing MT demonstrated a survival advantage over patients undergoing revascularization in the setting of no or mild ischemia, whereas patients undergoing revascularization had an increasing survival benefit over patients undergoing MT when moderate to severe ischemia was present. Furthermore, increasing survival benefit for revascularization over MT was noted in higher risk patients (elderly, adenosine stress, and women, especially those with diabetes). Conclusions-Revascularization compared with MT had greater survival benefit (absolute and relative) in patients with moderate to large amounts of inducible ischemia. These findings have significant consequences for future approaches to post-single photon emission computed tomography patient management if confirmed by prospective evaluations.

This meta-analysis demonstrates a strong association between myocardial viability on noninvasive testing and improved survival after revascularization in patients with chronic CAD and LV dysfunction. Absence of viability was associated with no significant difference in outcomes, irrespective of treatment strategy.

Myocardial perfusion SPECT yields incremental prognostic information toward the identification of cardiac death. Patients with mildly abnormal scans after exercise stress are at low risk for cardiac death but intermediate risk for nonfatal myocardial infarction and thus may benefit from a noninvasive strategy and may not require invasive management.

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In a patient population with no evidence of previous coronary artery disease at overall low risk (1.8% hard event rate), myocardial perfusion SPECT adds incremental prognostic information and risk-stratifies patients even after clinical and exercise information is known. It appears that referring physicians use this test in an appropriate manner in selecting patients to be referred to catheterization or revascularization.

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Ischemic MPS is associated with a high likelihood of subclinical atherosclerosis by CAC, but is rarely seen for CAC scores <100. In most patients, low CAC scores appear to obviate the need for subsequent noninvasive testing. Normal MPS patients, however, frequently have extensive atherosclerosis by CAC criteria. These findings imply a potential role for applying CAC screening after MPS among patients manifesting normal MPS.

Normal or equivocal exercise Tc-99m sestamibi study results are associated with a benign prognosis, even in patients with a high likelihood of coronary artery disease. Although incremental prognostic value is added by nuclear testing in all patient subgroups, a testing strategy incorporating nuclear testing proved to be cost-effective only in the groups with an intermediate to high likelihood of coronary artery disease before scanning.