[A new, non-invasive study method for the determination of left-ventricular function in patients with coronary...

With the new development of the Nuclear Stethoscope-a microprocessor based cardiac scintillation probe-it is possible to determine the contractile parameters and the diastolic filling measurement of the left ventricle, after the application of Technetium 99m. Due to the high sensitivity and specificity a functional diagnosis of the left ventricle is possible to approximately 90%. The report describes our first attempts to determine the ejection fraction (EF) at rest and during exercise in 24 patients with diagnosed coronary heart disease. Of the 24 patients, 18 (75%) were already found to have abnormal, in that they did not have the expected increase in the EF. The comparison of the results from the non-invasive probe with those of the coronary angiographic findings demonstrate a good correlation Correlation coefficient r = 0.960). The determination of the EF of coronary patients at rest and especially during exercise, from the point of view of rehabilitation, is of great practical relevance, allowing the residual function of the myocardium after infarction and harmful overloading to be better defined.