There is no author summary for this article yet. Authors can add summaries to their articles on ScienceOpen to make them more accessible to a non-specialist audience.

Abstract

We investigated whether spontaneous normalization of negative T waves (TWN) on infarct-related ECG leads (IRLs) in the chronic phase of Q wave anterior myocardial infarction (MI) could be a predictor of residual viability in infarct areas. We prospectively studied 35 patients (age 60 +/- 8.6 years) in the chronic phase of Q wave anterior MI. Spontaneous TWN (group A, n = 23) were defined as negative T waves that became upright (> or =0.15 mV) in > or =2 IRLs. The presence of negative T waves (group B, n = 12) was defined as symmetric or biphasic negative T wave of > or =0.15 mV. All patients underwent same-day rest 201Tl-stress (99m)Tc sestamibi dual-isotope myocardial perfusion SPECT and 24-hour 201Tl reinjection imaging for ischemia and viability analysis. On scintigraphic examination, ischemic or viable myocardial segments were found in 18 patients (78%) with TWN and 4 patients (33%) of group B (p = 0.013). The use of TWN as a parameter had a marked influence on the sensitivity (82%), specificity (62%), positive (78%) and negative (67%) predictive values and accuracy (74%) of the diagnosis of viable myocardium. If we add the criterion of positive T waves in aVR with negative T waves to our criteria, we found that sensitivity (90%), positive (80%) and negative (80%) predictive values and accuracy (80%) increased. The results of our study suggest that analysis of TWN on IRLs is an accurate marker of residual viability and/or persistent peri-infarct ischemia in patients in the chronic stage of Q wave anterior MI, and therefore optimizes the diagnostic and therapeutic strategies after MI. Copyright 2005 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Related collections

Most cited references 13

Record: found
Abstract: found
Article: not found

Significance of exercise-induced ST-segment elevation and T-wave pseudonormalization for improvement of function in healed Q-wave myocardial infarction.

ChristianA Schneider, AnneK Helmig, FrankM Baer … (1998)

Exercise-induced ST-segment elevation and pseudonormalization of negative T waves (ST-T segment changes) in infarct leads indicate myocardial viability after Q-wave myocardial infarcts in some patients and may therefore identify patients who will benefit from revascularization. Global left ventricular ejection fraction and wall motion abnormalities of the left ventricle were analyzed in 34 patients with healed myocardial infarction (11 patients with ST-segment elevation, 3 patients with pseudonormalization of the negative T wave (group 1), and in 20 patients without ST-T segment changes during an exercise electrocardiogram (group 2)) before and 4 months after successful revascularization. Wall motion abnormality in the central infarct region at baseline was similar in both groups (-3.1 +/- 0.6 SD vs 3.0 +/- 0.8 SD; NS). At repeat angiography, wall motion abnormality improved significantly from -3.1 +/- 0.6 SD to -2.1 +/- 0.6 SD (p <0.01) in group 1 and was unchanged in group 2 (-3.0 +/- 0.8 SD vs -2.9 +/- 0.7 SD; NS). Similarly, ejection fraction at control angiography had increased from 54 +/- 14% to 66 +/- 12% (p <0.01) in group 1, but decreased from 56 +/- 9% to 55 +/- 9% in group 2 (NS). Exercise-induced ST-T segment changes yielded a sensitivity of 80% and a specificity of 89% to predict significant improvement of the left ventricular ejection fraction. Exercise-induced changes of the ST-T segment identify patients with a high probability of improvement of myocardial function after revascularization in patients with healed myocardial infarcts.

0 comments Cited 5 times – based on 0 reviews      Review now

Bookmark

Record: found
Abstract: found
Article: not found

Pathologic implications of restored positive T waves and persistent negative T waves after Q wave myocardial infarction.

Shigeru Maeda, Tamotsu Imai, Kenji Kuboki … (1996)

We sought to study the pathologic implications of restored positive T waves and persistent negative T waves in the chronic stage of Q wave myocardial infarction. Some inverted T waves (coronary T waves) become positive after acute myocardial infarction; others retain their negative T wave component for a long time. The pathologic implications of the difference between restored positive T waves and persistent negative T waves in leads with Q waves has not, until now, been given much careful study. Of 17 patients with anterior or anteroseptal myocardial infarction confirmed by autopsy, 8 (group P) had positive and 9 (group N) had negative T waves in precordial leads with Q waves > or = 1 year after the onset of myocardial infarction. The appearance and extent of the infarct area and the degree of coronary artery stenosis were evaluated in both groups. At autopsy, seven of eight patients in group P had nontransmural fibrotic changes in the anteroseptal or anterior wall. However, seven of nine patients in group N had a transmural myocardial infarction consisting of only a thin fibrotic layer in the anteroseptal or anterior wall. The left anterior descending coronary artery showed 75% stenosis in 1 patient in each group but > 90% stenosis in the remaining 15 patients. Persistent negative T waves in leads with Q waves in the chronic stage of myocardial infarction indicate the presence of a transmural infarction with a thin fibrotic layer, whereas positive T waves indicate a nontransmural infarct containing viable myocardium within the layer.

0 comments Cited 5 times – based on 0 reviews      Review now

Bookmark

Record: found
Abstract: found
Article: not found

Myocardial damage and left ventricular dysfunction in patients with and without persistent negative t waves after q-wave anterior myocardial infarction

Konomi Sakata, Hideaki Yoshino, Hidehiko Houshaku … (2001)

Persistent T-wave inversions during the chronic stage of Q-wave myocardial infarction (MI) indicate the presence of a transmural infarction with a fibrotic layer pathologically. The aim of the present study was to examine the relation between left ventricular (LV) damage and changes in polarity of the T waves from the acute to chronic phase in patients with Q-wave anterior wall MI. We studied 140 patients with persistent T-wave inversions in leads with Q waves (negative T-wave group) and 158 patients with positive T waves (positive T-wave group) at 12 months after anterior MI. In the positive T-wave group, the precordial T waves reverted from a negative to a positive morphology < 3 months after MI in 21 patients (3 M-positive T-wave subgroup), 3 to 6 months in 52 patients (6 M-positive T-wave subgroup), and 6 to 12 months in 75 patients (12 M-positive T-wave subgroup). Ten patients had persistent positive T waves without initial T-wave inversion (persistent positive T-wave group). Wall motion index and LV dimension were higher and the wall thickness for the infarct area and LV ejection fraction were lower in the negative T-wave than in the positive T-wave groups, except the persistent positive T-wave group in the chronic stage (p < 0.0001). Wall motion in the infarcted area improved over the course of 1 year in the 3 M-, 6 M-, and 12 M-positive T-wave subgroups (p < 0.0001), but not in the persistent positive T-wave group. Among the patients with T-wave inversions after admission, those who had persistent negative T waves after 12 months had worse LV function. In patients with initial T-wave inversion, earlier normalization of the precordial T waves was associated with greater improvement in LV function. Patients with persistent positive T waves without initial negative T waves had poorer recovery of LV function than patients with persistent negative T waves. We conclude that the presence of inverted T waves in leads with abnormal Q waves 12 months after MI and the time required for T-wave normalization can be used to assess the degree of LV dysfunction.