The Korean journal of internal medicine
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Korean J. Intern. Med. · Mar 2012
Normalization of negative T-wave on electrocardiography and right ventricular dysfunction in patients with an acute pulmonary embolism.
Right ventricular dysfunction (RVD) is associated with poor prognosis in patients with acute pulmonary embolism (APE). Echocardiography and computed tomography (CT)-angiography may be difficult to perform in a serial follow up, unlike electrocardiography (ECG). Many ECG findings specific for APE have been reported, and many studies have found that negative T-waves (NTW) in precordial leads are most frequently observed in patients with APE. We analyzed serial changes in precordial NTW to detect RVD and predict the recovery of RVD in patients with APE. ⋯ Precordial NTW was a reliable finding to identify RVD in patients with APE. Improvements in RVD can be predicted by normalizing precordial NTW.