Hibernating myocardium: diagnosis and patient outcomes.

Approximately 50% of the patients with chronic obstructive coronary artery disease resulting in chronic contractile dysfunction have hibernating myocardium and may benefit from revascularization. This pooled analysis describes the relative merits of dobutamine echocardiography, thallium-201 and technetium-99m scintigraphy, positron emission tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging, for the diagnosis of hibernating myocardium and prediction of patient outcomes.