Old tools for sophisticated diagnosis: electrocardiography for the assessment of myocardial viability
Margonato, A.; Chierchia, S.L.
Quarterly Journal of Nuclear Medicine Official Publication of the Italian Association of Nuclear Medicine and the International Association of Radiopharmacology 40(1): 17-19
1996
ISSN/ISBN: 1125-0135 PMID: 8681008 Document Number: 469223
The identification of residual myocardial viability in patients with a previous myocardial infarction has important clinical implications. Various methods have been developed for the detection of viable myocardium, however most of them are expensive and available only to high-tech centers. In the attempt to obtain reliable information at a low cost, exercise-ECG has been proposed as a useful technique. The results of a series of studies show that ST segment elevation and ventricular arrhythmias elicited by exercise are reliable signs of the presence of reversible myocardial damage.