The clinical significance of exercise-induced ST segment changes in patients with previous inferior myocardial infarction.

To investigate the clinical significance of exercise-induced ST changes, we performed exercise body surface mapping (87 leads) in 52 patients (one-vessel disease [1 VD] n = 12, multivessel disease [MVD] n = 40) with previous inferior myocardial infarction (MI). ST isointegral maps were constructed and the locations of ST changes were compared with the findings of exercise thallium-201 (TI-201) myocardial scanning. Exercise-induced ST elevation was observed in 14 patients (27%) on the lower chest and on the back, corresponding to the infarcted area. Exercise-induced ST depression was observed more frequently in the MVD group (n = 30, 75%) than in the 1VD group (n = 2, 17%). Seventeen (77%) of 22 patients with ST depression had thallium-201 redistribution. There was a significant association between ST depression and TI-201 redistribution (chi2 = 13.1, p less than 0.001), but no association between ST depression and ST elevation. The body surface distribution of ST depression was shifted upward and rightward compared with its appearance in angina pectoris without MI. These findings suggest that exercise-induced ST depression reflects myocardial ischemia in patients with previous inferior MI.