Is ST/HR slope a predictor of coronary artery lesion in effort angina pectoris? A comparison of exercise hemodynamic variables.

This study evaluated the clinical value of the ST/HR slope and exercise hemodynamic variables for the severity of coronary artery lesions. Twenty-nine patients with effort angina pectoris underwent ergometer exercise during right side heart catheterization. The ST/HR slope failed to differentiate three groups stratified by the number of involved coronary vessels. The ST/HR slope was uncorrelated with the Gensini score (r = 0.24). By contrast, pulmonary capillary pressure (PCP), cardiac output index (CI) and CI/PCP at peak exercise correlated significantly with the Gensini score (r = 0.73, 0.53 and 0.69, respectively). We conclude that the ST/HR slope is not a useful predictor of the severity of coronary artery lesions, while exercise hemodynamic variables measured by right side heart catheter are useful.