Detection of adriamycin cardiotoxicity with indium-111 labeled antimyosin monoclonal antibody imaging.

Myocardial imaging with indium-111 labeled antimyosin monoclonal antibody (antimyosin imaging) has been reported to be useful in the noninvasive detection of myocardial cell necrosis in dilated cardiomyopathy as well as in myocardial infarction and myocarditis. We used antimyosin imaging to detect myocardial damage in 2 patients with malignant lymphoma in whom adriamycin cardiotoxicity was suspected. Patients were injected with 74 MBq of indium-111 labeled antimyosin (Fab. fraction). Forty-eight hours later, planar imaging and single-photon emission computed tomography were performed using a gamma camera with a medium energy general purpose collimator. Antimyosin imaging demonstrated diffuse myocardial uptake not only in one patient with congestive heart failure but also in another patient at the early stage without congestive heart failure. Antimyosin imaging may be a sensitive method for noninvasive visualization of myocardial cell damage and useful in the early diagnosis of specific heart muscle disease.