Diagnostic and prognostic value of oral dipyridamole test using echocardiography.

The diagnostic and prognostic value of the oral dipyridamole test using echocardiography was evaluated in 47 consecutive patients undergoing coronary arteriography. The results of the tests were not communicated to the physicians treating the subjects during a 1-year follow-up. The test had a sensitivity of 54% and a specificity of 100% for predicting severe (greater than or equal to 70% luminal stenosis) coronary artery disease. Neither ST-T segment changes nor chest pain during the test were associated with the presence of severe coronary artery disease. In the subgroup of 34 patients with severe coronary artery disease, the appearance of left ventricular segmental systolic dysfunction or ST-T segment depression (greater than or equal to 1 mm) during the test has a strong predictive value for subsequent cardiac events during a 1-year follow-up.