Detection of Left-Ventricular-Wall Motion Disorders in Coronary-Artery Disease by Radarkymography

Abstract

Radarkymography, a new, noninvasive technic that records horizontal movements of the cardiac silhouette as projected on a television screen, was used to detect and sequentially to follow left-ventricular-wall motion disorders in patients with acute myocardial infarction and chronic coronary-artery disease. Asynergistic motion of the left ventricular wall was recorded in 44 of the 56 patients studied. Over a follow-up period extending up to 18 months, 36 of the 54 patients surviving the acute episode retained the asynergism of contraction. Ten of the 44 patients with wall motion abnormalities expired. Wall motion abnormalities were also recorded in 28 of 42 patients with chronic coronary-artery disease. Radarkymography was compared with left ventricular cineangiography in 18 patients, and in 16 of these the results were identical in detection of asynergy of contraction. Radarkymography was found to be more accurate than fluoroscopy since wall motion disorders could not be detected in 16 of 32 patients with chronic coronary-artery disease in whom such abnormalities could be demonstrated by radarkymography.