[Nitroglycerin test in evaluating left ventricular contractile function in ischemic heart disease]

The nitroglycerin test was conducted in 21 patients with ischemic heart disease. The changes in the hemodynamic parameters of left-ventricular function, namely the end-diastolic pressure, the end-systolic and end-diastolic volumes, the ejection fraction, and the segmental contractility of the left-ventricular wall were studied. It was found that nitroglycerin discloses the zones of reparable asynergy and thus allows the area of true cicatricial changes of the myocardium to be clearly demarcated. All hemodynamic indices changed under the effect of nitroglycerin; the dynamics of the end-systolic volume and the ejection fraction made it possible to appraise the functional condition of the myocardium. The results obtained showed the importance of the nitroglycerin test in prognosing the results of myocardial revascularization and determining the volume of surgical intervention in aneurysms of the left ventricle.