Pacing echocardiography: regional wall motion, left ventricular dimension and R wave amplitude in patients with...

In view of the fact that stable echocardiograms are easily obtained during atrial pacing, pacing echocardiography was performed to evaluate the usefulness for detecting regional wall motion abnormalities during pacing-induced ischemia and to investigate the relationship between changes in the R wave and left ventricular dimension. The patients were 12 cases of angina pectoris (10 of coronary artery disease; CAD, and 2 of coronary patent aortic valvular disease; AVD) and 6 control cases. Simultaneous recording of two-dimensional and M-mode echocardiograms and electrocardiograms was done before, during and after the atrial pacing at increasing heart rate until angina appeared or the heart rate of at least 140/min was reached. In 12 angina cases, angina and ST depression were induced in 10 and 11, respectively. Excursion of the interventricular septum (IVS) decreased during pacing-induced ischemia in 6 of 7 CAD cases, in which the left anterior descending coronary artery was significantly stenosed (more than 75%). Excursion of the left ventricular posterior wall (LVPW) decreased during pacing-induced ischemia in 4 of 7 CAD cases, in which the vessels giving rise to posterior descending coronary artery were significantly stenosed (more than 75%). In 2 AVD cases, excursion of both IVS and LVPW decreased during ischemia. Left ventricular end-diastolic dimension (LVEDD) increased in only 2 angina cases, although R wave amplitude increased in 6 angina cases.