title: Usefulness of abnormalities of repolarization in the electrocardiographic diagnosis of healed myocardial infarction.
abstract: The authors evaluated the ability of criteria involving abnormalities of repolarization to diagnose healed myocardial infarction (MI). They studied the Q, R, S, and T waves and the ST-segments of the electrocardiograms (ECGs) of 60 angiographic-normal patients, 63 patients with angiographic evidence of healed inferior MI, and 33 patients with angiographic evidence of anterior MI. The best individual criteria involving repolarization were T wave amplitude less than or equal to 0.4 mm in lead II for inferior MI (specificity, 93%: sensitivity, 67%) and T wave amplitude greater than 2.4 mm for anterior MI (specificity, 100%: sensitivity, 27%). These T wave criteria enhanced the diagnostic performances of otherwise marginal QRS criteria for both inferior and anterior MI. The authors conclude that ECG criteria that involve abnormalities of the T waves are useful for diagnosing healed MI.
authors.affiliation: Syracuse Veterans Administration Medical Center, Medical Service, NY 13210.
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Warner
authors.forename: N E
authors.initials: NE
authors.lastname: Hill
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Lynch
mesh_terms: D004562:Electrocardiography; D005260:Female; D006329:Heart Conduction System / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000175:diagnosis*; D013997:Time Factors