[Surface and electrokymography of the ventricular wall of the heart in a comparison of myocardial function in patients with myocardial infarct].

We examined 21 patients with infarction of the anterior or lateral wall and 29 patients with infarction of the posterior wall at an average age of 48.3 years in rehabilitation stage II by means of kymographic methods. By reason of our results the surface kymogramme is a valuable screening method for the recognition of a pathological movement of the ventricular wall in myocardial infarction. The simultaneously performed electrokymographic examinations on patients with myocardial infarction referred to a relatively high proportion of clinically insignificant surface-kymographic findings. Except from this is the surface-kymographic motion paradoxis, which in every case also electrokymographically showed a considerable disturbance of the movement of the ventricular wall in the sense of a dynamic aneurysm of the heart wall after Heckmann with a decreased heart function. A pathological electrokymogramme of the heart wall was to be found only from stage II of the heart function after Roskamm, i.e. with reduction of the contractility of the heart in rest. From this results the clinical significance of the pathological electrokymogramme as reference to a considerable functional disturbance of the myocardium, partly without any subjective complaints present at the time of examination or clinical symptoms of heart insufficiency. The importance of these findings for rehabilitation will be possible only after longitudinal investigations of many years. As preliminary examination for electrokymography in chronic ischaemic heart disease a surface kymogramme is to be demanded, since in an unconspicuous surface kymogramme no indication to electrokymography is given.