Vnitr Lek 2012, 58(9):691-696

Hyperventilation echocardiography in spastic angina pectoris diagnosing

M. Kaletová^*, D. Marek, E. Sovová, I. Mejtská, M. Táborský

I. interní klinika - kardiologická Lékařské fakulty UP a FN Olomouc, přednosta doc. MUDr. Miloš Táborský, CSc., FESC, MBA

Hyperventilation echocardiography is an established diagnostic test in patients with suspected variant angina pectoris. It has got sufficient sensitivity (60-80%) and specificity (85-100%). Positive hyperventilation test is rarely found, which relates to low prevalence of variant angina. The diagnostic yield of the test depends on the population selected for testing: positive result can be expected in patients with a history of typical burning chest pain, ST segment elevation/depression and/or inversions of U wave during the chest pain episode, arrhythmias related to the chest pain, coronary artery stenosis less than 50% of artery diameter, multi-vessel disease, high activity of illness at the time of hyperventilation test. We present a case of 37 years old man with typical angina pectoris at rest and non-Q myocardial infarction, in whom the coronary angiography was negative. Variant angina pectoris was diagnosed by hyperventilation echocardiography. The ECG tracings showing typical ischemic patterns during the hyperventilation test are included.

Keywords: spastic angina; variant angina; Prinzmetal's angina; hyperventilation echocardiography test; non-Q myocardial infarction

Received: April 11, 2012; Accepted: June 16, 2012; Published: September 1, 2012  Show citation