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We studied the causes of exercise-induced ST-segment elevation. Group I consisted of 15 patients with anterior myocardial infarction in the absence of a coronary artery luminal narrowing of 75% or more. Group II consisted of 36 patients with predominantly exertional angina and a luminal narrowing of 90% or more in the left anterior descending coronary artery in the absence of previous myocardial infarction. In group I, exercise-induced ST-segment elevation occurred frequently during treadmill exercise (15/15, 100%). None of the patients showed 201Tl redistribution. The standard deviation of the phase in radionuclide ventriculography increased during bicycle exercise. Of group II patients, only those with 99% narrowing and poor collaterals showed exercise-induced ST-segment elevation (13/14, 93%), whereas none of those with complete occlusion or 99% narrowing and good collaterals, or 90% narrowing showed ST-segment elevation. In group II, patients with exercise-induced ST-segment elevation showed lower 201Tl uptake during exercise and washout in the territory of the diseased vessel than those without exercise-induced ST-segment elevation. In conclusion, wall motion abnormalities may cause exercise-induced ST-segment elevation independently of myocardial ischemia. In patients with predominantly exertional angina, exercise-induced ST-segment elevation may be a marker for 99% narrowing with poor collaterals and severe myocardial ischemia.

To assess the perfusion reserve of coronary collateral circulation, we analyzed exercise-stress tomographic thallium-201 myocardial images in 12 patients who had total occlusion in the right coronary artery (RCA) or left circumflex coronary artery (LCX) with well-developed collateral circulation and 90% stenosis in the left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD). In 6 of the 12 patients, the collateral circulation was non-jeopardized (group A). In the remaining 6 patients, the collateral circulation was jeopardized (group B). All 6 of the patients in group A had an exercise-induced decrease in thallium uptake in the segments supplied by the occluded RCA or LCX with collateral circulation, and 3 (50%) of these 6 also showed a decrease in thallium uptake in the segments supplied by the LAD. All 6 of the patients in group B also had an exercise-induced decrease in thallium uptake in the segments supplied by the occluded RCA or LCX with collateral circulation, but none showed a decrease in thallium uptake in the segments supplied by the LAD. In conclusion, the perfusion reserve of collateral circulation is equal to or less than 90% stenosis and myocardial ischemia occurs first in the collateralized segments during exercise in patients with jeopardized collateral circulation.

In order to investigate the relationship between sympathetic activity and postexercise systolic blood pressure (SBP) and exercise-induced ventricular arrhythmias in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD), we studied 38 patients and 9 normal subjects who underwent treadmill testing. Peak pressure-rate product was similar in the 2 groups. The plasma concentrations of norepinephrine and epinephrine at rest and immediately after exercise were significantly higher in patients with CAD compared with normal subjects (norepinephrine at rest, p