title: QT dispersion in patients with Takayasu arteritis.
abstract: This study was designed to test the hypothesis that myocardial involvement exists in patients with Takayasu arteritis and is associated with increased QT dispersion, which is a marker of repolarization inhomogeneity. Twenty-one consecutive patients with Takayasu arteritis and no significant coronary artery disease were included. Twelve-lead electrocardiogram and exercise-induced thallium-201 myocardial scintigraphy were performed in all patients. Ten of 21 patients (48%) had abnormal findings on scintigraphy. Patients were divided into two groups by the presence (group P, n = 10) or absence (group N, n = 11) of exercise-induced thallium-201 myocardial scintigraphic perfusion abnormalities, including permanent defects in three, reversible defects in four, and slow washout in three. The QT dispersion at rest was significantly greater in group P than that in group N (54 +/- 12 vs 40 +/- 8 msec, p < 0.005). The QTc dispersion at rest was also significantly greater in group P than in group N (59 +/- 15 vs 43 +/- 11 msec, p < 0.01). In patients with Takayasu arteritis, myocardial involvement suggested by exercise-induced thallium-201 myocardial scintigraphic perfusion abnormalities is not rare, even when no significant coronary stenosis is present on angiography. Increased baseline QT dispersion was associated with scintigraphic abnormalities and may be a useful marker of myocardial involvement in patients with Takayasu arteritis.
authors.affiliation: Third Department of Internal Medicine, Saitama Medical Center, Japan. torumed3@saitama-med.ac.jp
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kato
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kakuta
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Maruyama
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hashimoto
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Yoshimoto
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Numano
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003326:Coronary Circulation / Q000502:physiology; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D004452:Echocardiography; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005080:Exercise Test; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D013625:Takayasu Arteritis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D013794:Thallium Radioisotopes
chemical_list: D013794:Thallium Radioisotopes