[Electrocardiograms during acute occlusion of the left circumflex artery as compared with that of the right coronary artery].

To assess the characteristic electrocardiographic (ECG) ST changes during acute occlusion of the left circumflex artery (LCX), we observed ECG changes during percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) of the LCX and compared the results with those obtained during right coronary angioplasty. Results were as follows: 1. In the 30 patients who had LCX angioplasty (group LCX), ST-segment elevation occurred most frequently in lead V6 (67.7%) and in lead III (46.7%), but rarely in leads and aVL. ST depression occurred most frequently in lead V3 (80.0%) and in lead V2 (73.3%), but rarely in other leads except for leads I and aVL (23.3%, 33.3%). 2. Four types of ST change in lead combinations were observed. These included: (1) ST elevation in the inferior leads (II, III and aVF), (2) ST elevation in the lateral leads (V5 and V6), (3) ST depression in the anterior leads (V2-V4) and (4) ST depression in the high lateral leads (I and aVL). In group LCX, nine cases (30.0%) manifested all four changes, and six cases (20.0%) revealed only ST depression in the anterior leads without ST changes in other leads. 3. ST depression in the anterior leads and ST elevation in the inferior and lateral leads were observed in nearly equal frequency in patients who received PTCA at the proximal site (Seg. 11) and at the distal site (Seg. 13) in the group LCX. However, ST depression in the high-lateral leads was more frequently observed in the distal than in the proximal cases (66.7% vs 33.3%).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)