[Use of the hyperventilation test in patients with various forms of angina]

The pulmonary hyperventilation (HV) test was carried out in 31 coronary patients with stable angina and 11 patients with spontaneous (angiospastic) angina. The test results were compared to those obtained with bicycle ergometry (BE), 24-hour ECG monitoring and selective angiography. The HV test was positive in 7 of 24 patients with positive BE results. The BE and 24-hour ECG monitoring were superior to the HV test in terms of sensitivity. Positive HV tests were more common in spontaneous angina. It is suggested that the HV test can be used for diagnosis and medication efficiency control in coronary patients.