Technetium Tc-99m annexin-V imaging can noninvasively reveal the location and extent of myocardial cell damage sustained during a heart attack, according to a study in the July 15 issue of The Lancet.
Technetium Tc-99m recombinant human annexin-V, developed by North American Scientific and its subsidiary Theseus Imaging of Chatsworth, CA, is the active component of the Apomate kit, which is designed to image cell death in vivo.
The study by Dr. Leo Hofstra and associates at the University of Maastricht in the Netherlands found that annexin images could differentiate between cells undergoing apoptosis and cells that are injured, but still have a chance for survival. The method is based on changes in the cell membrane that occur in the course of cell death, particularly programmed cell death.
With this type of information, physicians would be able to confirm or refute the diagnosis of acute heart damage, determine the prognosis of patients who suffer heart attacks, and evaluate a patient's response to therapy, according to North American Scientific.
By AuntMinnie.com staff writers
July 24, 2000
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