[The role of the diagonal ear lobe crease in the clinical evaluation of coronary risk].

Two hundred and forty-three prospective patients (143 with proved coronary heart disease and 100 without coronary disease) were analysed for the presence or absence of ear lobe crease, a possible aural sign of coronary artery disease. The crease was present in 72.7% of the coronary and 48% of the noncoronary examinees (p less than 0.001). The crease was more prevalent in older (greater than 50) than in the younger patients. The positive predictive value of this sign averages 70% and the negative one 60%.