Prognostic value of dipyridamole stress echocardiography in hypertensive patients with left ventricular hypertrophy, chest pain and resting electrocardiographic repolarization abnormalities

BACKGROUND: Hypertension is a major cardiovascular risk factor in the development of coronary artery disease (CAD); therefore, evaluating the presence of CAD is a primary clinical goal. However, the noninvasive tests that are commonly used have poor diagnostic specificity, particularly in patients with left ventricular hypertrophy. OBJECTIVES: To assess the prognostic value of dipyridamole stress echocardiography (DET) for ischemic events in a subset of patients with hypertension with left ventricular hypertrophy, chest pain and resting electrocardiographic repolarization abnormalities. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Eighty-two patients (48 men and 34 women; average age 65 +/-7.2 years with left ventricular hypertrophy documented echocardiographically (left ventricular mass index greater than 50 g/h(2.7)), and resting ST segment shift of 0.1 mV or more from baseline at 80 ms after J point in at least two contiguous leads, were submitted to DET according to high-dosage protocol and coadministered with atropine. RESULTS: The follow-up period was 25.11 +/-8.3 months. The stress test produced positive results in 30 patients (36.5%); 16 (53%) and three (5%) cardiac events occurred in positive and negative stress test groups, respectively. At multivariate analysis, only positive DET response (P=0.000002), left ventricular mass index (P=0.028) and a family history of CAD (P=0.037) were independent predictors. The two-year event-free survival rates were 95% and 47% (log-rank 21.093, P=0.00001) for negative and positive stress test results, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: DET is a useful tool in the prognostic assessment of coronary events in this particular subgroup of patients with hypertension.