[Exercise echocardiography: II. Interventricular septal wall dynamics in patients with left anterior descending coronary disease during recovery (author's transl)].

Supine ergometer exercise test was performed in 10 healthy subjects and 9 patients who had severe stenosis in the left anterior descending coronary artery [5 patients with stenosis proximal to the septal perforator (proximal LAD disease) and 4 patients with stenosis distal to the septal perforator (distal LAD disease)]. In healthy subjects and patients with distal LAD disease, the increment of septal excursion (IVS Ex) and percent systolic thickening of the septum (% delta Th) during exercise returned to the pre-exercise level with a few minutes after exercise. In patients with proximal LAD disease, IVS Ex decreased to 1.4 +/- 1.2 mm during exercise form the pre-exercise level (7.4 +/- 0.7 mm) and % delta Th decreased to 6.4 +/- 5.1% during exercise from the pre-exercise level (37.2 +/- 8.4%). After exercise, IVS Ex and % delta Th increased to 8.6 +/- 0.9 mm at 2 min and 38.0 +/- 9.8% at 3 min respectively and then returned to the pre-exercise level. End-diastolic wall thickness (WTh) did not change during and after exercise in healthy subjects and patients with distal LAD disease, while in patients with proximal LAD disease, WTh increased for a few minutes after exercise and returned to the pre-exercise level. The change of electrocardiogram and symptom of angina pectoris lasted longer than the abnormal wall motion.