1 From the Department of Medicine, St. Paul Ramsey Hospital, and University of Minnesota (Dr. Lee) and the Department of Radiology (Drs. Wilson and Amplatz), and Department of Medicine (Dr. Tuna), University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
One hundred patients with suspected coronary heart disease were studied by vectorcardiography (VCG), electrocardiography (ECG), and coronary arteriography. Twenty-eight patients had VCG evidence of anterior infarction; 26 of this group had severe narrowing or obstruction of the left anterior descending branch. Five did not have anterior infarction by ECG. Twenty-seven patients had VCG evidence of diaphragmatic infarction; 25 of this group had severe narrowing of the right coronary artery or the left circumflex branch or both. Six of the 27 did not have ECG evidence of diaphragmatic infarction. Twelve patients had VCG evidence of posterior infarction whereas it was detected by ECG in only two. Only six of the 12, however, had severe narrowing of the nutrient arteries to the posterobasal part of the myocardium. Thirteen patients with infarction had severe narrowing but not total obstruction of a coronary artery. On the other hand, 15 patients had total obstruction of a major coronary vessel without actual infarction.
© 1968 American Heart Association, Inc.
Correlation of Vectorcardiogram and Electrocardiogram with Coronary Arteriogram
Key Words: Coronary heart dsease • Angiographic narrowing of coronary arteries • Anteror infarction • Diaphragmatic infarction • Posterior infarction