[Radionuclide exercise gated studies in female patients with positive exercise electrocardiogram]

Radionuclide left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) has been determined in a group of 14 female patients at rest and during graded supine bicycle exercise. One group consisted of 9 patients complaining of chest pain and demonstrating positive exercise electrocardiography (EECG), but with normal contrast angiographic results. The second group of 5 patients had a normal response to EECG and was used as a control group. LVEF increased markedly in both groups during exercise. This study confirms the known fact of high false-positive EECG in female patients and that exercise radionuclide LVEF response can be used as a final screening test for cardiac catheterization in female patients demonstrating positive EECG.