Effect of long-term exercise training on regional myocardial perfusion changes in patients with coronary artery disease

The effect of long-term exercise training on myocardial perfusion in coronary artery disease (CAD) patients was assessed using 201Tl exercise studies at a baseline (4 months after the onset of CAD) and at a 1-year or more follow-up in 58 patients with stable CAD. The subjects had been divided into a training group (n=35) participating in supervised exercise 2 times per week for the follow-up period, and the control group (n=23). There was an improvement in the myocardial perfusion on stress 201Tl scintigraphy in 20 of the 35 (57.1%) trained patients and in 3 of the 23 (13.0%) of the control patients. The number of 201Tl stress myocardial perfusion defect segments was significantly decreased after the cardiac rehabilitation training (231 to 153 segments), but showed no change in the control group (158 to 156 segments). In spite of no significant differences in the number of involved coronary arteries, it improved (12/17 patients: 70.6%) more in the patients who had trained for more than 2 years compared to the patients who had trained for less than 2 years. The exercise tolerance increased in 25 of the 35 training group patients (71.4%), and in only 3 of the 23 control group patients (13.0%). The peak double products increased from 20,131±6,010 to 28,370±5,600 in the training group, and showed no change in the control group (20,567±5,112 to 20,964±7,728). The results indicated that the long-term physical training increased exercise tolerance and the double products of CAD patients. In addition, the training resulted in improved cardiac perfusion as evidenced by 201Tl scintigraphy. The findings suggest that exercise training is an advisable and effective treatment for patients with CAD. (K.H.)