Submitted:
13 August 2026
Posted:
14 August 2026
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Abstract
Background: Rubidium-82 (82Rb) PET myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) yields, in a single study, quantitative absolute myocardial blood flow (MBF, mL/min/g), myocardial flow reserve (MFR), and gated left ventricular (LV) function (LVEF, EDV, ESV, SV). These quantitative values depend on the tracer, scanner, kinetic model, software, and on the underlying population, and have been characterised almost exclusively in North American and European cohorts. The Arabian Gulf, where Kuwait has among the highest age-standardised diabetes prevalence worldwide (25.6%), is essentially unstudied, so the distribution and behaviour of these parameters in such a real-world cardiometabolic population are unknown. Objectives: To evaluate the distribution of the quantitative 82Rb PET parameter set in a real-world Arabian Gulf cohort and, within a small strictly-defined normal subgroup, to describe sex- and age-related patterns in absolute MBF, MFR, and LV function. Given the limited size of the normal subgroup, these values are presented as exploratory, hypothesis-generating observations rather than definitive population reference norms. Methods: Retrospective single-centre study of 330 consecutive patients (mean age 63.5 ± 12.0 years) who underwent adenosine-stress 82Rb PET/CT MPI. The truly-normal reference stratum, normal perfusion (C1), normal global MFR (≥ 2.0), normal resting LVEF, and no documented cardiac history, comprised 44 patients (25 female, 19 male). Reference values are reported as sex- and age-stratified centiles (5th, 25th, median, 95th percentiles), with the 5th percentile as the lower reference limit. Sex differences used Mann-Whitney U with rank-biserial r and Cohen's d (95% CI); age was examined across broad bands. All analyses followed APA 7 standards with Bonferroni correction. Results: In the truly-normal stratum, median global stress MBF was 2.94 mL/min/g (5th percentile 2.03) and median global MFR was 2.72 (5th percentile 2.06); every value satisfied the C1 definition (MFR ≥ 2.0). Consistent with published 82Rb PET registries, women had higher global stress MBF (median 3.00 vs 2.91 mL/min/g) and lower MFR than men, and LV volumes were smaller in women with higher LVEF. The 5th-percentile lower reference limit for stress LVEF was 54% (women) and 53% (men). These absolute-flow reference values are lower than those reported for Western low-risk cohorts (stress MBF ~3.25 mL/min/g; MFR ~3.18), consistent with the higher cardiometabolic burden of this population. Conclusions: In this exploratory single-centre evaluation, quantitative 82Rb PET flow values in a small strictly-normal Arabian Gulf subgroup were lower than Caucasian-derived values, while the expected sex and age patterns were preserved. Because the normal subgroup is small, these findings are hypothesis-generating and require confirmation in larger, prospectively screened cohorts before use as population reference values; they nonetheless indicate that population- and pipeline-specific calibration is needed when quantitative 82Rb thresholds derived elsewhere are applied locally.
Keywords:
1. Introduction
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Study Design and Patient Selection
2.2. Image Acquisition
2.3. Reference (Strictly-Normal) Subgroup Definition
2.4. Image Analysis
2.5. Statistical Analysis
3. Results
3.1. Cohort Characteristics and Normality
3.2. MBF and MFR Reference Values (PET)
| Parameter | N | Mean | SD | 5th %ile (LRL)1 | 25th %ile | Median | 95th %ile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stress MBF (mL/min/g) | |||||||
| LAD | 44 | 2.674 | 0.564 | 1.983 | 2.240 | 2.650 | 3.674 |
| LCX | 44 | 2.878 | 0.623 | 2.000 | 2.395 | 2.935 | 3.856 |
| RCA | 44 | 3.261 | 0.863 | 1.924 | 2.645 | 3.255 | 4.702 |
| Global | 44 | 2.840 | 0.571 | 2.025 | 2.345 | 2.940 | 3.686 |
| Rest MBF (mL/min/g) | |||||||
| LAD | 44 | 0.993 | 0.251 | 0.681 | 0.818 | 0.930 | 1.407 |
| LCX | 44 | 1.070 | 0.297 | 0.703 | 0.900 | 1.040 | 1.728 |
| RCA | 44 | 1.077 | 0.297 | 0.706 | 0.877 | 1.035 | 1.652 |
| Global | 44 | 1.038 | 0.267 | 0.691 | 0.860 | 1.000 | 1.469 |
| MFR (stress/rest) | |||||||
| LAD | 44 | 2.728 | 0.606 | 2.046 | 2.245 | 2.565 | 3.694 |
| LCX | 44 | 2.770 | 0.691 | 1.964 | 2.198 | 2.580 | 3.825 |
| RCA | 44 | 3.101 | 0.798 | 2.030 | 2.515 | 3.005 | 4.585 |
| Global | 44 | 2.811 | 0.624 | 2.060 | 2.275 | 2.720 | 3.996 |
3.3. Sex-Stratified MBF and MFR Reference Values
3.4. Age-Stratified MBF and MFR Reference Values
3.5. LV Functional Parameters: Sex Differences
3.6. Age Effects on LV Functional Parameters
| Parameter | Modality | H (df=1) | p | eta2 | eta2 95% CI1 | Sig. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stress LVEF (%) | PET | 0.08 | 0.777 | 0.000 | [0.000, 1.000] | ns |
| Stress EDV (mL) | PET | 2.28 | 0.131 | 0.030 | [0.005, 1.000] | ns |
| Stress SV (mL) | PET | 2.10 | 0.147 | 0.026 | [0.036, 1.000] | ns |
3.7. LV Functional Reference Values (by Sex)
3.8. Age-Stratified LV Functional Reference Values
4. Discussion
4.1. Summary and Contributions
4.2. MBF and MFR: Clinical Context
4.3. Lower Absolute Flow and Its Metabolic Basis
4.4. Sex and Age Patterns
4.5. Prognostic Relevance of Reduced Flow Reserve
4.6. Limitations
5. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Conflicts of Interest
References
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| Characteristic | Full PET cohort (n = 330) | C1 normative stratum (n = 44) |
|---|---|---|
| Female / male | 145 / 185 | 25 / 19 |
| Female (%) | 43.9% | 56.8% |
| Age, mean +/- SD (y) | 63.5 +/- 12.0 | 59.9 +/- 11.3 |
| Age range (y) | 12 - 91 | 39 - 85 |
| Parameter | Sex | N | Mean | SD | 5th %ile | Median | 95th %ile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Global Stress MBF (mL/min/g) | Female | 25 | 2.894 | 0.597 | 2.138 | 3.000 | 3.902 |
| Global Stress MBF (mL/min/g) | Male | 19 | 2.769 | 0.544 | 1.975 | 2.910 | 3.379 |
| Global Rest MBF (mL/min/g) | Female | 25 | 1.130 | 0.284 | 0.800 | 1.070 | 1.642 |
| Global Rest MBF (mL/min/g) | Male | 19 | 0.916 | 0.189 | 0.679 | 0.900 | 1.211 |
| Global MFR | Female | 25 | 2.612 | 0.497 | 2.044 | 2.570 | 3.416 |
| Global MFR | Male | 19 | 3.073 | 0.687 | 2.159 | 2.980 | 4.219 |
| LAD MFR | Female | 25 | 2.474 | 0.431 | 2.032 | 2.350 | 3.264 |
| LAD MFR | Male | 19 | 3.062 | 0.651 | 2.192 | 3.150 | 4.213 |
| LCX MFR | Female | 25 | 2.586 | 0.586 | 1.966 | 2.440 | 3.592 |
| LCX MFR | Male | 19 | 3.013 | 0.757 | 1.972 | 2.910 | 3.887 |
| RCA MFR | Female | 25 | 2.961 | 0.705 | 2.034 | 2.990 | 4.288 |
| RCA MFR | Male | 19 | 3.285 | 0.891 | 2.195 | 3.120 | 4.756 |
| Age Group | Parameter | N | Mean | SD | 5th %ile | Median | 95th %ile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| < 60 | Global Stress MBF | 24 | 2.938 | 0.566 | 2.069 | 3.105 | 3.542 |
| < 60 | Global MFR | 24 | 2.920 | 0.671 | 2.043 | 2.865 | 3.995 |
| ≥ 60 | Global Stress MBF | 20 | 2.723 | 0.569 | 2.019 | 2.655 | 3.722 |
| ≥ 60 | Global MFR | 20 | 2.680 | 0.550 | 2.155 | 2.585 | 3.749 |
| Parameter | Median Men | Median Women | U | p (Bonf.) | r | d [95% CI] | Sig. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stress LVEF (%) | 67 | 67 | 248 | 0.812 | 0.044 | -0.42 [-0.63, -0.19] | ns |
| Stress EDV (mL) | 82 | 61 | 351 | 0.007 | 0.478 | 0.77 [0.54, 0.99] | * |
| Stress ESV (mL) | 23 | 21 | 300 | 0.145 | 0.261 | 0.56 [0.34, 0.78] | ns |
| Stress SV (mL) | 52 | 41 | 370 | 0.002 | 0.556 | 0.76 [0.53, 0.98] | * |
| Rest LVEF (%) | 60 | 59 | 250 | 0.767 | 0.055 | -0.44 [-0.66, -0.22] | ns |
| Rest EDV (mL) | 64 | 51 | 348 | 0.009 | 0.463 | 0.70 [0.47, 0.92] | * |
| Rest ESV (mL) | 25 | 21 | 330 | 0.030 | 0.387 | 0.57 [0.35, 0.79] | * |
| Rest SV (mL) | 38 | 31 | 354 | 0.006 | 0.488 | 0.69 [0.47, 0.91] | * |
| Parameter | Sex | N | Mean | SD | 5th %ile | Median | 95th %ile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LV Functional : Stress | |||||||
| LVEF (%) | Female | 25 | 66.1 | 8.1 | 54.2 | 67.0 | 78.2 |
| LVEF (%) | Male | 19 | 66.5 | 7.8 | 52.9 | 67.0 | 75.6 |
| EDV (mL) | Female | 25 | 63.3 | 18.2 | 42.2 | 61.0 | 88.8 |
| EDV (mL) | Male | 19 | 82.7 | 26.7 | 53.4 | 82.0 | 144.2 |
| ESV (mL) | Female | 25 | 22.5 | 11.1 | 11.2 | 21.0 | 37.2 |
| ESV (mL) | Male | 19 | 28.3 | 12.8 | 12.0 | 23.0 | 50.9 |
| SV (mL) | Female | 25 | 40.8 | 9.5 | 26.4 | 41.0 | 56.8 |
| SV (mL) | Male | 19 | 54.5 | 17.0 | 35.6 | 52.0 | 88.7 |
| LV Functional : Rest | |||||||
| LVEF (%) | Female | 25 | 60.3 | 7.1 | 52.2 | 59.0 | 68.8 |
| LVEF (%) | Male | 19 | 60.2 | 5.4 | 51.9 | 60.0 | 69.4 |
| EDV (mL) | Female | 25 | 50.7 | 15.1 | 28.6 | 51.0 | 74.0 |
| EDV (mL) | Male | 19 | 68.8 | 26.4 | 38.4 | 64.0 | 127.1 |
| ESV (mL) | Female | 25 | 19.8 | 6.2 | 13.2 | 21.0 | 26.8 |
| ESV (mL) | Male | 19 | 27.5 | 11.6 | 13.9 | 25.0 | 51.2 |
| SV (mL) | Female | 25 | 30.9 | 10.3 | 15.4 | 31.0 | 47.2 |
| SV (mL) | Male | 19 | 41.4 | 16.6 | 24.5 | 38.0 | 75.5 |
| Age Group | Parameter | N | Mean | SD | 5th %ile | Median | 95th %ile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| < 60 | Stress LVEF (%) | 24 | 66.7 | 9.0 | 52.1 | 67.5 | 80.7 |
| < 60 | Stress SV (mL) | 24 | 48.7 | 15.6 | 32.6 | 47.0 | 64.2 |
| ≥ 60 | Stress LVEF (%) | 20 | 65.8 | 6.6 | 55.0 | 67.0 | 75.0 |
| ≥ 60 | Stress SV (mL) | 20 | 44.4 | 13.6 | 31.7 | 41.5 | 60.4 |
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