Relationship between myocardial perfusion scintigraphy findings and neutrophil lymphocyte ratio

Introduction: The neutrophil lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is a new predictor for cardiovascular risk and mortality. We investigated the association between the NLR and myocardial perfusion scintigraphy (MPS), a powerful prognostic tool for predicting adverse cardiovascular outcomes. Materials and methods: A total of 558 patients were included in our study. Patients were divided into groups according to the MPS findings and coronary angiography (CAG) results. Their hematologic and biochemical data were obtained. The neutrophil lymphocyte ratio was calculated, and the relationship between the groups and the NLR was statistically analysed. Results: The NLR was statistically higher in the patients with ischemia detected with MPS, than in patients who had normal MPS values (2.52 +/- 1.62 and 2.13 +/- 1.07, respectively). Therefore, the NLR was similar between patients who were both GAG positive and had ischemic MPS. In addition, the NLR was similar for patients who had both normal MPS and CAG negative. NLR was detected as an independent predictor for coronary artery disease on logistic regression analysis (p = 0.005, OR = 1.29, 95% CI: 1.082 - 1.539). Conclusion: The NLR is an independent predictor for coronary artery disease. This novel index is a beneficial identifier to interpret the results of MPS in terms of increasing diagnostic accuracy.