The Value of Frontal Planar QRS-T Angle in Patients without Angiographically Apparent Atherosclerosis

• Published in: Medical principles and practice 2017-03, Vol.26 (2), p.125-131
• Main Authors: Gungor, Mutlu, Celik, Murat, Yalcinkaya, Emre, Polat, Alper Tolga, Yuksel, Uygar Cagdas, Yildirim, Erkan, Firtina, Serdar, Bugan, Baris, Ozer, Ali Can
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Age Factors; Aged; Atherosclerosis; Atherosclerosis - diagnosis; Atherosclerosis - diagnostic imaging; Atherosclerosis - epidemiology; Atherosclerosis - physiopathology; Cardiovascular disease; Coronary Angiography; Coronary Vessels - diagnostic imaging; Electrocardiography; Female; Health risk assessment; Humans; Hypertension; Hypertension - epidemiology; Hypertension - physiopathology; Male; Middle Aged; Original Paper; Risk Factors; Socioeconomic Factors
• ISSN: 1011-7571; 1423-0151
• DOI: 10.1159/000453267

Objective: The present study was undertaken to investigate the prognostic value of the frontal planar QRS-T angle in patients without angiographically apparent coronary atherosclerosis. Subjects and Methods: Three hundred and seven patients with normal coronary arteries on coronary angiography were included. The absolute difference between the frontal QRS- and T-wave axes was defined as the frontal planar QRS-T angle, and patients were divided into 3 subgroups based on the frontal planar QRS-T angle (90°). Demographic, clinical, laboratory, and angiographic data were compared between groups. Based on the regression analysis results, patients were recategorized into 4 groups according to their luminal calibers of left main coronary artery (LMCA) and history of hypertension (HT) (nonhypertensive LMCA ≤4.13 mm, nonhypertensive LMCA >4.13 mm, hypertensive LMCA ≤4.13 mm, and hypertensive LMCA >4.13 mm). Results: The median value of the frontal planar QRS-T angle of all participants was 38°. Subjects with the widest frontal planar QRS-T angle were older (p = 0.027), were hypertensive (p = 0.001), and had higher corrected QT values (p = 0.001). Patients with the widest frontal planar QRS-T angle had larger LMCA and left anterior descending coronary artery diameters compared to subjects with a normal and borderline frontal QRS-T angle (p = 0.004 and p = 0.028, respectively). Corrected QT, HT, and LMCA diameter were found as independent predictors of the frontal planar QRS-T angle. Subjects with HT and a larger luminal caliber of LMCA had the widest frontal planar QRS-T angle. Conclusion: Patients with a history of HT and a larger luminal caliber of LMCA had the widest frontal planar QRS-T angle. Since HT-induced electrophysiological changes are still not well established and we observed that changes in the luminal caliber of coronary arteries are associated with an abnormal frontal QRS-T angle, the frontal QRS-T angle could serve as a marker of ventricular repolarization heterogeneity in hypertensive patients in addition to keeping track of arrhythmic events, even before overt disease.