Comparative diagnostic value of a new computerized vectorcardiographic method (cardiogoniometry) and other noninvasive tests in medically treated patients with chest pain

• Published in: Clinical cardiology (Mahwah, N.J.) Vol. 10; no. 5; pp. 311 - 316
• Main Authors: Meier, A., Høflin, F., Herrmann, H. J., Wolf, C., Gurtner, H. P., Røsler, H.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Wiley Periodicals, Inc 01.05.1987; Wiley
• Subjects: Adult; Biological and medical sciences; Cardiac Catheterization; cardiogoniometry; Cardiology. Vascular system; Chest Pain - diagnosis; coronary artery disease; Coronary Disease - diagnosis; Coronary heart disease; exercise ECG; Exercise Test; False Negative Reactions; False Positive Reactions; Female; Heart; Humans; Male; Medical sciences; Microcomputers; Middle Aged; noninvasive diagnosis; Radioisotopes; Thallium; thallium‐201 (201TI) scanning; vectorcardiography; Vectorcardiography - methods; Human; Electrodiagnosis; Non invasive method; Computerized processing; Electrocardiography; Myocardium; Cardiovascular disease; Exercise tolerance test; Scintigraphy; Vectorcardiography; Coronary heart disease
• ISSN: 0160-9289; 1932-8737
• DOI: 10.1002/clc.4960100504

The diagnostic value of cardiogoniometry (CGM), a new computerized vectorcardiographic method, for the identification of coronary artery disease was compared with other noninvasive tests in 48 medically treated patients with chest pain. Coronary angiography revealed one‐vessel disease in 18, two‐ or three‐vessel disease in 21, and normal coronary arteries in 9 patients. Cardiogoniometry was less sensitive (63%) than thallium‐201 (201TI) scanning (82%), but slightly more sensitive than the exercise ECG (50%) or a recently proposed parameter of exercise performance (50%). On the other hand, specificity was comparable among these tests (exercise ECG 78%, thallium‐201 scanning 72%, CGM 67%, new parameter of exercise performance 66%). Moreover, the false negative rate of noninvasive testing was reduced from 8 to 3% when CGM was added to thallium‐201 scanning and exercise ECG. Our findings indicate that in view of the easier feasibility with computerized technology, the future role of vectorcardiographic methods such as CGM in the noninvasive diagnosis of coronary artery disease should be redefined.