Prognostic value of dipyridamole stress cardiac magnetic resonance in patients with known or suspected coronary artery disease: a mid-term follow-up study

Dipyridamole stress cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) evaluates the key phases (perfusion and wall motion) of the ischemic cascade. We sought to determine the prognostic value of dipyridamole stress-CMR in consecutive patients symptomatic for chest pain. Seven hundred and ninety-three consecutive patients symptomatic for chest pain underwent dipyridamole stress-CMR and were followed up for 810 ± 665 days. Patients were classified in group 1 (no- reversible ischemia), group 2 (stress perfusion defect alone), and group 3 [stress perfusion defect plus abnormal wall motion (AWM)]. End points were "all cardiac events" (myocardial infarction, cardiac death and revascularization) and "hard cardiac events" (all cardiac events excluding revascularization). One hundred and ninety-five (24 %) all cardiac events and 53 (7 %) hard cardiac events were observed. All and hard cardiac event rates in groups 1, 2, and 3 were 11 %, 49 %, 69 % and 4 %, 8 %, 21 %, respectively, with a higher rate in group 2 vs. group 1 (p