Dipyridamole-thallium tests are predictive of severe cardiac arrhythmias in patients with left ventricular hypertrophy.
In a population of patients with chronic renal failure (CRF) and a high prevalence of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) undergoing chronic hemodialysis, we investigated the association between the results of dipyridamole-thallium tests (DTTs) and the occurrence of ventricular arrhythmias. We observed a positive significant association between positive DTTs and the occurrence of severe forms of ventricular arrhythmias. A significant association was also observed between the presence of severe LVH and the occurrence of severe ventricular arrhythmias. However, no association was found between the presence of LVH and the positivity of the DTT. As most of our patients with positive DTTs had unimpaired coronary circulations, we conclude that positive DTTs, although falsely indicative of impaired myocardial blood supply, does have an important clinical relevance, indicating increased risk of morbidity (and, possibly, mortality) due to ventricular arrhythmias in a population of CRF patients submitted to chronic renal function replacement program.
Saragoça
M A
MA
Cardiology Division, Escola Paulista de Medicina, São Paulo, Brazil.
Canziani
M E
ME
Gil
M A
MA
Castiglioni
M L
ML
Cassiolato
J L
JL
Barbieri
A
A
Lima
V C
VC
Draibe
S A
SA
Martinez
E E
EE
D000293:Adolescent; D000368:Aged; D001145:Arrhythmias, Cardiac / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D006332:Cardiomegaly / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D004176:Dipyridamole; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D006435:Renal Dialysis / Q000009:adverse effects; D013794:Thallium Radioisotopes
D013794:Thallium Radioisotopes; D004176:Dipyridamole