Magnetocardiography based spatiotemporal correlation analysis is superior to conventional ECG analysis for identifying myocardial injury

Ann Biomed Eng. 2009 Jan;37(1):107-11. doi: 10.1007/s10439-008-9598-5. Epub 2008 Nov 18.

Abstract

Electrocardiogram (ECG) particular from tiny, non Q-wave myocardial infarction may lack striking infarct pattern. Spatiotemporal correlation analysis (SCA) of multichannel magnetocardiogram (MCG) is a high-resolution "magnifying glass" to analyze homogeneity of repolarization. SCA involves full 4D spatiotemporal information to identify abnormalities as empirically done by eye in conventional ECG-but on an advanced level of analysis. We compared the discriminatory performance of SCA to ECG analysis in identifying myocardial infarction. Eleven SCA parameters were taken from signal averaged 31-channel MCG and compared to infarct indicators of ECG's in 178 subjects: 108 patients (76 males, mean age 62 years) after myocardial infarction (16-64 d) and 70 controls (36 males, mean age 46 years). SCA improves the detection of myocardial injury: in 72.5% ECG (sensitivity 68.6%, specificity 56%) and in 80.2% SCA parameters (sensitivity 72.6%, specificity 64%) separated patients from controls. SCA is applicable for the analysis of de- and repolarization of cardiac mapping data.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study

MeSH terms

  • Electrocardiography / methods
  • Heart Conduction System / physiopathology*
  • Humans
  • Magnetocardiography / methods
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Myocardial Infarction / diagnosis*
  • Myocardial Infarction / physiopathology
  • Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted