Repolarization spatial-time current abnormalities in patients with coronary heart disease.

BACKGROUND

Magnetocardiography (MCG) is a new technique for visualizing a current distribution in the myocardium. In recent years, current distribution parameters (CDPs) have been developed based on the distribution. The CDPs reflect spatial-time current abnormalities in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD). However, the criteria and scoring method of the abnormalities using CDPs are still controversial.

METHOD

We measured MCG signals for 101 normal controls and 56 CHD patients (single-, double-, and triple-vessel diseases) using a MCG system. The CDPs (maximum current vector [MCV], total current vector [TCV], current integral map, and current rotation) during ventricular repolarization were analyzed. To evaluate the CDPs that are effective in distinguishing between normal controls and CHD patients, the areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve (A(z)) are calculated. Furthermore, the total scores ("0" to "4") of four CDPs with high A(z) values are also calculated.

RESULTS

MCV and TCV angles at the T-wave peak had the highest A(z) value. Furthermore, TCV angular differences between the ST-T segment also had high A(z) values. Using the four CDPs, the averaged total score for patients with triple-vessel disease was the highest ("2.67") compared to the other groups (normal controls: 0.53). Furthermore, based on the assumption that subjects with a total score over "1" were suspected of having CHD, sensitivity and specificity were 85.7% and 74.3%, respectively.

CONCLUSION

We concluded that the score and criteria using MCV and TCV during repolarization in CHD patients can reflect lesion areas and time changes of electrical activation dispersion due to ischemia.