OT DISPERSION IN NONSUSTAINED VENTRICULAR-TACHYCARDIA AND CORONARY-ARTERY DISEASE

This study examines the relation between QT dispersion and the inducib ility of ventricular tachycardia (VT) in 35 consecutive patients with coronary artery disease who underwent electrophysiologic testing for e valuation of nonsustained VT. The mean age of the patients was 66 +/- 9 years (+/- SD) and the mean left ventricular ejection fraction was 0 .36 +/- 0.14. In 6 patients in whom sustained, monomorphic VT was indu cible by programmed ventricular stimulation, QT dispersion was signifi cantly greater than in the 29 patients in whom VT was not inducible (1 26 +/- 35 vs 67 +/- 25 ms, p <0.001). All patients who had a QT disper sion >120 ms had inducible sustained monomorphic VT, and no patient wh o had a QT dispersion <90 ms had inducible VT. The patients who had in ducible VT did not differ significantly from those who did not with re gard to age, gender, ejection fraction, RR interval, or mean QT. In co nclusion, in patients with coronary artery disease who have nonsustain ed VT; inducibility of monomorphic VT is associated with on increase i n QT dispersion. QT dispersion may be helpful in predicting which pati ents with nonsustained VT are and are not likely to have inducible VT by programmed stimulation.