Clinical and Echocardiographic Characterization of False-Positive Results from Stress Echocardiography

Stress echocardiography has a 72%-85% sensitivity and an 80%-95% specificity. In this study, we characterized patients who received a false-positive stress echocardiogram result.

A total of 5,256 patients underwent a stress echocardiogram (induced by exercise, dobutamine, or dipyridamole) between 2009 to 2018, and 405 patients (7.7%) received a positive result. Among the positive patients, 300 underwent coronary angiography within 12 months, and these patients were included in this study (mean age = 64.9 ± 9.4 years, 230 men [76.7%]). Coronary artery disease was diagnosed by stenosis ≥50% in any epicardial coronary artery. Clinical and echocardiographic variables were compared between patients with true- and false-positive stress echocardiogram results.

Seventy-two patients (24%) had a false-positive stress echocardiogram, with similar rates across stressor types (p = 0.574). Patients with false positives were less frequently men (63.9% vs. 80.7%, p = 0.003), had lower diabetes mellitus prevalence (15.3% vs. 45.6%, p = 0.001), were similar to true positive patients with regard to body-mass index, arterial hypertension prevalence, hyperlipidemia and smoking, and had lower pre-test probability of coronary artery disease (23% vs. 32%, p = 0.016). The wall motion score index (WMSI) was higher in the true-positive stress group, and wall motion abnormalities were more frequent in the apical segments (70.5% vs. 56.7%, p = 0.034). In a multivariable predictive model, men (odds ratio [OR] = 2.994), diabetes (OR = 5.440), and peak WMSI (OR = 10.690) were associated with a true-positive result.

Twenty-four percent of our study population received a false-positive stress echocardiogram result, with similar rates across stressor types. Patients with true-positive stress echocardiogram results are more likely to be men, diabetic, and have a high peak WMSI.