Thallium scan images of the heart muscle: software for image analysis and interpretation

Thallium-201 myocardial stress imaging (TSMI) has high specificity for coronary artery disease. Segmental analysis of the stress thallium scintigraphic information about the regions at highest risk of ischemia, though all the vessels with significant stenoses may not be identified. Abnormal studies are uncommon in patients without significant narrowings, while regional abnormalities are rare except in the distribution of the stenosed vessels. Tomographic approaches to TSMI have improved the diagnostic accuracy. The textural analysis has to find the global variance of the left ventricle and harmonic analysis has to define the variability in terms of several sin and cos terms by using Fourier analysis. The textural and harmonic analysis act as advisor system to a doctor, so that a nuclear medical specialist can have a confirmatory analysis system to suit their own evaluation procedures. The camera scans the myocardium both in static and dynamic conditions. The software is a in-built part of the system.