Vectorcardiographic evaluation of myocardial infarct size: comparisons with thallium myocardial scintigraphy.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the usefulness of vectorcardiography (VCG) in assessing myocardial infarct size.


METHODS
The correlation of spatial and scalar parameters of VCG with the percent defect volume (%DV) of thallium myocardial single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) was investigated in 63 patients with first-onset myocardial infarction (MI). VCG parameters included: (1) spatial parameters: magnitude, azimuth and elevation of the maximal vector, vectors at 20 ms and 30 ms, and (2) scalar parameters: amplitudes of 20 ms and 30 ms vectors at X, Y, and Z scalar leads abbreviated as X20, Y20, Z20, X30, Y30 and Z30, respectively.


RESULTS
For anteroseptal MI, the azimuth of 30 ms vector and Z20 showed a significant correlation with %DV (r = 0.572, P < 0.05 and r = 0.832, P < 0.001) while in anteroseptal MI with involvement of lateral wall, the azimuth of 30 ms vector and X30 were correlated with %DV significantly (r = 0.775, and r = 0.780, P < 0.01). For inferior and inferoposterior MI, the elevation of 30 ms vector and Y30 were correlated well with %DV (r = 0.871, P < 0.01, r = 0.928, P < 0.001 for inferior MI and r = 0.678, P < 0.01, r = 0.760, P < 0.001 for inferoposterior MI).


CONCLUSIONS
VCG parameters, especially scalar parameters, can be used to evaluate myocardial infarct size easily and non-invasively with remarkable accuracy.
Wang
J
J
Department of Functional Examination, Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050000, China. jwang@public.sj.he.cn
Kondo
T
T
Tokuda
M
M
Shinozaki
H
H
Sarai
M
M
Yasui
T
T
Ishii
J
J
Kurokawa
H
H
Nomura
M
M
Hishida
H
H
Watanabe
Y
Y
D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006321:Heart / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology*; D013794:Thallium Radioisotopes; D015899:Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon; D014672:Vectorcardiography
D013794:Thallium Radioisotopes