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Title: Noninvasive ergonovine maleate provocative testing for coronary artery spasm: the need for routine thallium-201 imaging

Journal Article · · Cathet. Cardiovasc. Diagn.; (United States)

We administered ergonovine and used both electrocardiographic monitoring and thallium-/sup 201/ (/sup 201/Tl) imaging to detect reversible ischemia in 100 patients. Patients already established as having coronary artery spasm and those with nonbypassed, proximal, high-grade coronary artery stenosis were excluded. No complication occurred in any patient. The use of thallium imaging in addition to electrocardiographic monitoring resulted in a higher degree of sensitivity than did ECG monitoring alone. Fourteen patients demonstrated evidence of coronary artery spasm as documented by /sup 201/Tl imaging but of the 14, significant ECG changes occurred in only 50%, and classic ST segment elevation in 21%. Thus, in carefully selected patients the noninvasive provocation of coronary spasm can be accomplished safely, but ECG monitoring must be combined with thallium-/sup 201/ imaging to achieve an acceptable degree of sensitivity.

Research Organization:
Jewish Hospital of St. Louis, Washington University, MO
OSTI ID:
5428555
Journal Information:
Cathet. Cardiovasc. Diagn.; (United States), Vol. 9:3
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English