title: Vectorcardiograms in dilated cardiomyopathy and triple vessel coronary artery disease: a comparative study by ventricular gradient.
abstract: An analysis using vectorcardiography and left ventriculography was made on forty patients, 17 of whom had dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), 14 with triple vessel coronary artery disease (CAD) and 9 control subjects. QRS deflection area vector (Aqrs) was directed the most posteriorly in the DCM group and the second most posteriorly in the CAD group. Ventricular gradients (G) were smaller in the DCM and CAD groups than in the control group and directed more posteriorly in the DCM group than in the CAD and control groups. G/Aqrs was the smallest in the DCM group and the second smallest in the CAD group. Aqrs-At Angle was the widest in the DCM group and the second widest in the CAD group. Left ventricular ejection fraction (EF) showed high correlations with the azimuth of Aqrs (r = 0.659), with the magnitude of G (r = 0.720), with G/Aqrs (r = 0.785) and with Aqrs-At Angle (r = -0.855). From this evidence, we conclude that the magnitude of G, G/Aqrs and Aqrs-At Angle have a definable relationship with the impairment of left ventricular function and the Aqrs-At Angle is an especially useful parameter to detect the grade of myocardial damage in both the DCM and CAD groups.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002311:Cardiomyopathy, Dilated / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008433:Mathematics; D008875:Middle Aged; D013318:Stroke Volume; D014672:Vectorcardiography