METHODS: We collected data of 183 patients who underwent dipyridamole-induced stress MPS by retrospectively reviewing their clinical records, which included the severity of dipyridamole side effects in 3 min, 10 min, and 20 min after infusion. The incidence and severity at all three points, including the effect of age and gender, were obtained.
RESULTS: Adverse effects occurred in 96 patients (69.6%). The most frequent symptoms were dizziness (42.8%), chest tightness (24.6%), abdominal pain (18.1%), and headache (15.2%). Most symptoms were Grade 1 to 2, according to the grading system for common terminology criteria. The median duration of symptom persistence was 36 min, not significantly different among age and gender.
CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that the adverse effects of dipyridamole were generally minimal and its duration was acceptable for clinical usage.