The Value of Frontal Planar QRS-T Angle in Patients without Angiographically Apparent Atherosclerosis.
OBJECTIVE
The present study was undertaken to investigate the prognostic value of the frontal planar QRS-T angle in patients without angiographically apparent coronary atherosclerosis.


METHODS
Three hundred and seven patients with normal coronary arteries on coronary angiography were included. The absolute difference between the frontal QRS- and T-wave axes was defined as the frontal planar QRS-T angle, and patients were divided into 3 subgroups based on the frontal planar QRS-T angle (<45, 45-90, and >90°). Demographic, clinical, laboratory, and angiographic data were compared between groups. Based on the regression analysis results, patients were recategorized into 4 groups according to their luminal calibers of left main coronary artery (LMCA) and history of hypertension (HT) (nonhypertensive LMCA ≤4.13 mm, nonhypertensive LMCA >4.13 mm, hypertensive LMCA ≤4.13 mm, and hypertensive LMCA >4.13 mm).


RESULTS
The median value of the frontal planar QRS-T angle of all participants was 38°. Subjects with the widest frontal planar QRS-T angle were older (p = 0.027), were hypertensive (p = 0.001), and had higher corrected QT values (p = 0.001). Patients with the widest frontal planar QRS-T angle had larger LMCA and left anterior descending coronary artery diameters compared to subjects with a normal and borderline frontal QRS-T angle (p = 0.004 and p = 0.028, respectively). Corrected QT, HT, and LMCA diameter were found as independent predictors of the frontal planar QRS-T angle. Subjects with HT and a larger luminal caliber of LMCA had the widest frontal planar QRS-T angle.


CONCLUSIONS
Patients with a history of HT and a larger luminal caliber of LMCA had the widest frontal planar QRS-T angle. Since HT-induced electrophysiological changes are still not well established and we observed that changes in the luminal caliber of coronary arteries are associated with an abnormal frontal QRS-T angle, the frontal QRS-T angle could serve as a marker of ventricular repolarization heterogeneity in hypertensive patients in addition to keeping track of arrhythmic events, even before overt disease.
Department of Cardiology, Bayindir Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
Mutlu
M
Gungor
Murat
M
Celik
Emre
E
Yalcinkaya
Alper Tolga
AT
Polat
Uygar Cagdas
UC
Yuksel
Erkan
E
Yildirim
Serdar
S
Firtina
Baris
B
Bugan
Ali Can
AC
Ozer
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D017023:Coronary Angiography; D003331:Coronary Vessels / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors