Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Comparative Study
. 2005 Jul;10(3):281-7.
doi: 10.1111/j.1542-474X.2005.00547.x.

Usefulness of seismocardiography for the diagnosis of ischemia in patients with coronary artery disease

Iwona Korzeniowska-Kubacka  1 , Maria Bilińska, Ryszard Piotrowicz
Affiliations
Comparative Study

Usefulness of seismocardiography for the diagnosis of ischemia in patients with coronary artery disease

Iwona Korzeniowska-Kubacka et al. Ann Noninvasive Electrocardiol. 2005 Jul.

Abstract

Background: Seismocardiography (SCG) is a useful method for the detection of exercise-induced changes in cardiac muscle contractility which may occur during myocardial ischemia. The aim of this study was to compare the diagnostic accuracy of SCG with electrocardiographic exercise test (ETT) for diagnosis of ischemia in patients with angiographically proved coronary artery disease (CAD).

Methods: Seventy-seven male patients with CAD without myocardial infarction (MI), mean age 51+/-9 years, were subjected to SCG and ETT. A gender-matched control group consisted of 30 healthy volunteers aged 34+/-7 years. SCG was done simultaneously with resting supine 12-lead electrocardiography before and immediately after a symptom-limited ETT. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV) of SCG were compared with ETT. Moreover, the diagnostic accuracy of both the methods was compared, with coronary angiography being the reference for the analysis.

Results: SCG was more sensitive (61.1% vs 44.2%, P<0.05) and accurate (70% vs 61%, P<0.05) method for detecting ischemia caused by coronary stenosis>or=50%, at least in one coronary artery compared to the ETT. However, ETT had better specificity than SCG (82.4% vs 76%, P<0.05). The PPV and NPV of SCG were significantly better than those obtained with ETT (77.9% vs 76%, P<0.05 and 63.4% vs 53.8%, P<0.05, respectively). Moreover, the concordant results of SCG and ETT improved the diagnostic accuracy of both methods.

Conclusions: SCG appeared to be more sensitive for detecting ischemia caused by more than>or=50% stenosis of the main coronary artery compared to an electrocardiographic stress test. SCG was a useful ETT adjunct for selecting patients requiring coronary angiography.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Seismocardiogram nomenclature. MC = mitral valve closure; IM = isovolumic movement; AO = aortic valve opening; IC = isotonic contraction; RE = rapid ventricular ejection; AC = aortic valve closure; MO = mitral valve opening; RF = rapid ventricular filling; AS = atrial systole; EMD = electromechanical delay.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Normal SCG. Patient J.P., age 43 with normal coronary angiography.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Abnormal SCG. Patient J.M., age 53 with 95% stenosis of left anterior descending artery.
Figure 4
Figure 4
The predictive value receiver operating characteristic (pv‐ROC) curves for the SCG and ETT based on 77 patients.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Salerno D, Zanetti J. Seismocardiography: A new technique for recording cardiac vibration. Concept, method and initial observation. J Cardiovasc Technol 1990; 9: 111–117.
    1. Zoneraich S. Seismocardiography is not a new term. Am J Cardiol 1992; 69: 573–574. - PubMed
    1. Salerno D, Zanetti J, Mooney M, et al Seismocardiography for detection of coronary artery occlusion during coronary angioplasty: A preliminary report. J Am Coll Cardiol 1989;13: 43A.
    1. Salerno D, Zanetti J, Green L, et al Qualitative exercise seismocardiography for detection of moderate and severe multivessel coronary artery disease. J Am Coll Cardiol 1990;15: 44A.
    1. Salerno D, Zanetti J, Green L, et al Seismocardiographic changes associated with obstruction of coronary blood flow during balloon angioplasty. Am J Cardiol 1991; 68: 201–207. - PubMed

Publication types