[Noninvasive diagnosis of coronary heart disease with cardiokymography: use of signal averaging technique].

Regional wall motion abnormality is the best indicator for coronary ischemia. Myocardial wall motion is registrated by cardiokymography (CKG), a mechanocardiographic method. Because of the high incidence of artefacts, echocardiography and nuclear imaging technique have been preferred. Computer-assisted signal averaging CKG improves practicability and allows measurements during exercise testing. Exercise testing was performed in 54 patients with suspected ischemic heart disease without mitral or aortic valve dysfunction, myocardial infarction or prior cardiac surgery. The results of simultaneously recorded ECG and CKG were compared with coronary angiographic results. CKG sensitivity and specificity were higher than that of ECG (76 and 80% vs 71 and 52%). If diagnosis was based on pathological or nonpathological results of both CKG and ECG, sensitivity and negative predictive value increased to 87 and 83%, respectively. Sensitivity reached 93% when only one pathological result was required. CKG combined with signal-averaging techniques has advanced to become a specific and sensitive tool in the non-invasive diagnostic approach to ischemic heart disease.