Rest/Stress Comparison

Please activate the Compare button on the GATED Analysis page to start the result comparison and continue on the Compare page.

The page is organized in four main areas described below.

Time-Volume Curve Area

The volume curves of the left ventricle at STRESS and REST are shown in the upper left corner as a function of the gate bin.

Polar Maps Areas

The lower left shows polar maps of STRESS and REST uptake at systole and diastole. The two larger polar plots can be configured to show any of the following 8 results:

The example below shows the STRESS TOTAL and the REST TOTAL polar plots with interpolation and with the display controls enabled. An overlay showing 3 vascular territories (Arterial), 4 Sectors or 20 segments (20 AHA sectors) can be selected from the pull-down menu to right of the overlay toggle . By default, Arterial definition is used. The + button allows using an explicitly defined maximum rather than the maximum in the data, which can be specified in the adjacent number field.

In the polar maps, the numbers associated with the overlay represent the average value of the parameter measured by each map within the territory, sector or segment in which they lie. When the cursor is moved about the polar plot the instantaneous value is shown in the upper right of the corresponding panel.

The polar plots can be saved using the Save icon as indicated above. After saving, the polar plots can be analyzed outside the PCARDP tool, for example in the PMOD-R interface.

By right clicking into the polar plot area a context menu can be opened.

Hide/Show Controls allows enabling/disabling the control elements, whereas Properties gives access to font size etc.

Tables Area

The results of the gated analysis are summarized in four tables accessible via the tabs:

1. Results tab: all the functional metrics parameters are shown in this table. The explanation of these indexes is available in the Examining the Results section. In addition to the parameters described for the Gated Analysis page, three additional parameters are available: the transient ischemic dilation index (TID) is calculated when STRESS and REST studies are processed in parallel. TID is determined as the ratio between the STRESS and REST maximal ventricular volume (EDV) : STRESS_EDV/REST_EDV. The ED and ES myocardium mass index are also reported.
2. Arterial tab: the numbers represent the average of the parameter measured within each vascular territory: LAD, RCA and LCX
3. 4 sectors tab: the values shown on the table represent the average parameter measured within each sector: Anterior, Septal, Inferior and Lateral. For convenience and immediate comparison the Apical average parameters values are also reported.
4. 20 AHA sectors tab: the table displays average parameters calculated for each of the 20 AHA sectors.

Rest/Stress Summary Report

The Compare Report button compiles the Stress/Rest information into a report summary distributed on three pages.

The first page contains Results tab content in the upper section and the volume curves of the STRESS and REST gated studies.

The second page content consist of polar maps of the STRESS and REST uptake at the end of the systole and diastole.

The third page reports in tabular format the content of the Arterial, 4 Sectors and 20AHA sectors tables availble on the Compare page.

As usual with PMOD reports it can be annotated, saved in different formats, and printed.

Saving and Inspecting Numeric Results

The numeric information of Results tab can also be saved or appended to a text file using the Save Results and the Append Results buttons, respectively. The saved file receives a .pcardRes suffix and can be visualized in Excel or a text editor (e.g Notepad).

Two different numeric results can be opened and compared within PCARDP module. This can be easily achived activating the View Results option from the bottom status line. Initially, a window appears allowing to select either a file from the database or a file located on your system. The button activation opens a dialog window.

In the upper part the current path is indicated. The program automatically points to the directory of the last successful loading operation. It has elements for changing the directory: the navigation buttons in the Folder section (.. indicating one level up). All files suitable for loading (having the suffix *.pcardRes) in the search directory are listed in the Files section. The Open button starts loading the selected file, Cancel quits the operation, and Delete erases the file from the disk.

Finally, a comparison window displays in the left section the initial loading results:

In the right section of the panel the bottom Load button allows loading results obtained either from MRI or PET cardiac analysis for a side-by-side comparison. The Close button exits the comparison window.