Diagnostic value of exercise stress testing, dipyridamole stress-echocardiography and perfusion stress-scintigraphy for identification of coronary artery disease in women

To compare the value of exercise stress testing (EST), dipyridamole stress echocardiography and 99mTc-methoxy-isobutyl-isonitrile (MIBI)-planer scintigraphy, 75 female patients with angina pectoris who underwent coronary angiography were studied. Significant (≥50% stenosis) coronary artery disease (CAD) was present in 38 of the patients. EST was performed in all of the patients but dipyridamole echocardiography and MIBI-planer scintigraphy - in 36 of them (22 with and 14 without CAD). Compared with dipyridamole echocardiography, EST and MIBI-planer scintigraphy had a significantly higher sensitivity (74% vs 45%, p<0.01 and 82% vs 45%, p<0.01, respectively). There was no significant difference in sensitivity between EST and MIBI-planer scintigraphy. Dipyridamole echocardiography and MIBI-planer scintigraphy showed a higher specificity than EST (93% vs 54%, p<0.01 and 93% vs 54%, p<0.01, respectively). Diagnostic accuracy of MIBI-planer scintigraphy was higher than that of dipyridamole echocardiography and EST (86% vs 64%, p<0.05 and 86 vs 64%, p<0.01, respectively). Thus, MIBI-planer scintigraphy appears to be superior to EST and dipyridamole echocardiography for the evaluation of CAD in symptomatic women. 20 refs., 2 tabs. (author)