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):312-23.
doi: 10.1111/j.1542-474X.2005.00634.x.

Magnetocardiography predicts coronary artery disease in patients with acute chest pain

Jai-Wun Park  1 , Peter M Hill, Namsik Chung, Paul G Hugenholtz, Friedrich Jung
Affiliations
Comparative Study

Magnetocardiography predicts coronary artery disease in patients with acute chest pain

Jai-Wun Park et al. Ann Noninvasive Electrocardiol. 2005 Jul.

Abstract

Background: The value of magnetocardiography (MCG) for the detection of cardiac electrical disturbances associated with myocardial ischemia was studied.

Methods: Sensitivity and predictivity of admission MCG for the presence of coronary artery disease (CAD) were prospectively evaluated in 264 consecutive patients presenting with acute chest pain and without ST-segment elevation. MCG findings were compared with 12-lead ECG, echocardiography (ECHO), and troponin-I in a head-to-head design. Coronary angiography was used for CAD diagnosis.

Results: The visual assessment of magnetocardiograms by the experienced reader (R1) was superior to that by the unexperienced reader (R2) and superior to the automated computer analysis. Specificity and positive predictive value of MCG by R1 were comparable with those of ECG and troponin-I (>90%), while ECHO specificity and ECHO positive predictive value were lower (76.2% and 87.9%, respectively). Sensitivity and negative predictive value of MCG were twice as high as those in the ECG, troponin-I, and ECHO tests.

Conclusion: For the prediction of CAD in patients presenting with acute chest pain and without ST-segment elevation, an admission MCG test was superior to an admission ECG, ECHO, and troponin-I. The results of the study, however, are applicable only to a highly selected population comprising patients in whom immediate coronary angiography can be performed based on their clinical course in the hospital.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Plot of the position of the current vector.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Dynamics of the relative pole behavior with respect to angle, distance, and strength during the time interval between Tbeg and Tmax. (a) Apparently healthy subject (top); (b) patient with coronary artery disease (bottom).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Behavior of the three‐dimensional magnetic‐dipole vector (arrows) during the time interval between Tbeg and Tmax. (a) Apparently healthy subject; (b) patient with coronary artery disease; (c) patient with coronary artery disease.
Figure 4
Figure 4
MCG raw data with excellent (left, a) and poor (right, b) signal to noise ratio (MCG: leads 1–9, ECG: lead 10; top). Averaged magnetocardiographic signals from 36 positions after postprocessing (bottom; (c) postprocessed averaged magnetocardiogram of example (a); (d) postprocessed, averaged magnetocardiogram of example (b)).
Figure 4
Figure 4
MCG raw data with excellent (left, a) and poor (right, b) signal to noise ratio (MCG: leads 1–9, ECG: lead 10; top). Averaged magnetocardiographic signals from 36 positions after postprocessing (bottom; (c) postprocessed averaged magnetocardiogram of example (a); (d) postprocessed, averaged magnetocardiogram of example (b)).
Figure 5
Figure 5
Example for possible problem arising if sensor positioning is guided by chest wall anatomy. The cardiac magnetic field is correctly covered by magnetocardiographic sensors (left, a). The cardiac magnetic field is partially outside the magnetocardiographic area (right, b).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Gibler BE. Diagnosis of acute coronary syndromes in the emergency department In: Topol E. (ed.): Acute Coronary Syndromes. New York , Marcel Dekker, 2000, pp. 193–231.
    1. Gibler BE, Lewis LM, Erb RE, et al Early detection of acute myocardial infarction in patients presenting with chest pain and nondiagnostic ECGs: Serial CK‐MB sampling in emergency department. Ann Emerg Med 1990;9: 1359–1366. - PubMed
    1. Bertrand ME, Simoons ML, Fox KAA, et al Management of acute coronary syndromes: Acute coronary syndromes without persistent ST‐segment elevation. Eur Heart J 2000;21: 1–32. - PubMed
    1. Sternickel K, Tralshawala N, Bakharev A, et al Unshielded measurements of cardiac electric activity using magneto‐cardiography. Int J Bioelectromagnetism 2002;4: 189–195.
    1. Scanlon PJ, Faxon DP, Audet AM, et al ACC/AHA guidelines for coronary angiography. J Am Coll Cardiol 1999;33: 1756–1824. - PubMed

Publication types