NONINVASIVE DIAGNOSIS OF CORONARY-ARTERY DISEASE BY CARDIOKYMOGRAPHY - USE OF SIGNAL AVERAGING

Regional wall motion abnormality is the best indicator for coronary is chemia. Myocardial wall motion is registrated by cardiokymography (CKG ), a mechanocardiographic method. Because of the high incidence of art efacts, echocardiography and nuclear imaging technique have been prefe rred. Computer-assisted signal averaging CKG improves practicability a nd allows measurements during exercise testing. Exercise testing was p erformed in 54 patients with suspected ischemic heart disease without mitral or aortic valve dysfunction, myocardial infarction or prior car diac surgery. The results of simultaneously recorded ECG and CKG were compared with coronary angiographic results. CKG sensitivity and speci ficity were higher than that of ECG (76 and 80 % vs 71 and 52 %). If d iagnosis was based on pathological or nonpathological results of both CKG and EGG, sensitivity and negative predictive value increased to 87 and 83 %, respectively. Sensitivity reached 93 % when only one pathol ogical result was required. CKG combined with signal-averaging techniq ues has advanced to become a specific and sensitive tool in the non-in vasive diagnostic approach to ischemic heart disease.