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An unusual complication of transvenous endocardial lead placement is reported in which an electrode became entrapped within the vicinity of the tricuspid valve apparatus, resisting all initial attempts at removal. The lead was subsequently successfully removed percutaneously via the right femoral vein.

The distribution of 201thallium (Tl) in the myocardium has been studied by the new technique of emission tomography, and compared with standard gamma camera images in 5 patients. Tomographic imaging was carried out using a dual-detector scanner operated under the single-photon technique. Initial results have been promising, with visualisation of resting perfusion defects in patients with recent infarction and those with ventricular aneurysms. Emission tomography has also been performed at exercise, and has shown tracer deficits in the distribution of significant coronary stenoses. This new approach to myocardial perfusion scintigraphy may lead to improved sensitivity for detecting apical and inferior wall abnormalities by providing depth information not available from a conventional two-dimensional image.