Delayed recovery of left ventricular regional work after coronary angioplasty in patients with opposite wall old myocardial infarction.

To evaluate the changes in left ventricular (LV) regional function during acute ischemia in patients with opposite wall old myocardial infarction (OMI), we examined LV regional work during percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) of the left anterior descending artery (LAD) in patients with a posterior OMI. Twelve patients with normal LV contraction (group A) and six patients with posterior OMI (group B) who were scheduled to undergo PTCA were enrolled in this study. All patients had single-vessel coronary artery disease and no collateral circulation. Sixty-second inflation was performed, and data were collected every 10 s. The regional work was calculated from the relationship between the mean wall stress and area strain. Regional work of the interventricular septum decreased after balloon inflation and was at its minimum at the end of inflation (group A: 0.6 +/- 0.3 mJ/cm(3); group B: 0.8 +/- 0.4 mJ/cm(3)). After balloon deflation, the septal regional work increased in both groups, and recovered to baseline at 40 s in group A and at 60 s in group B. Regional work of the posterior wall increased in group A after balloon inflation, but not in group B. The recovery of LV regional work after PTCA is delayed in patients with opposite-wall OMI.