Publication
[Diagnosis of coronary artery disease - part 2: Exercise electrocardiogram and myocardial perfusion scintigraphy]
Journal Paper/Review - Sep 23, 2009
Maeder Micha, Zellweger M J
Units
PubMed
Doi
Citation
Type
Journal
Publication Date
Issn Print
Pages
Brief description/objective
The principle of exercise stress test and myocardial perfusions scintigraphy (MPS) is based on the detection of exercise-induced myocardial ischaemia by ECG and non-invasive assessment of myocardial perfusion respectively, MPS being the more sensitive method. The exercise stress test is the method of choice in patients with a normal resting ECG and good exercise tolerance, whereas MPS is a suitable test for patients with abnormal resting ECG and/or exercise intolerance. Stressors for MPS included exercise, pharmacological stress, or a combination. Both exercise stress test and MPS are suitable for the evaluation of patients with chest pain and intermediate pre-test probability of significant coronary artery disease. For patients with high pre-test probability, both tests are helpful for risk stratification. Neither test makes sense for the evaluation of patients with chest pain and low pre-test probability of significant coronary artery disease or unselected asymptomatic patients.