Comparison of myocardial ischaemia in post-infarction patients with and without angina

Ninety patients with old myocardial infarction were studied to evaluate the efficacy of intravenous dipyridamole 201 Tl imaging for the detection of myocardial ischaemia in post-infarction patients, and to compare the prevalence of ischaemia in 63 patients with post-infarction angina (group I) and 27 patients without angina (group II). Thirty-four of the patients in group I and 15 of the patients in group II received coronary arteriography (CAG) for comparison; these were labelled groups IA and IIA, respectively. On 201 Tl imaging, the incidence of scar with ischaemia in the infarct zone and scar with ischaemia at a distance were 72% and 42% in all patients, 89% and 52% in group I vs 33% and 19% in group II (P 0.05, respectively). Thus, dipyridamole 201 Tl imaging is a useful modality and post-infarction angina a proper indicator in the detection of myocardial ischaemia in post-infarction patients.