Electrocardiogram, Vectocardiogram and Body Surface Maps in Patients with Panic Disorder

K. PIŠVEJCOVÁ, I. PACLT, J. SLAVÍČEK¹, O. KITTNAR¹,
A. DOHNALOVÁ¹, E. KITZLEROVÁ

Department of Psychiatry and ¹Institute of Physiology, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic

Received January 18, 2000
Accepted November 5, 2001

Summary
An increased risk of myocardial ischemic changes was demonstrated in patients suffering from panic disorder (PD). Using classical ECG methods, this risk cannot be evaluated in most patients. We measured the vectocardiogram (VCG) using Frank orthogonal leads and body surface maps (BSM) including 12-lead ECG. In our study of 11 PD patients (2 men, 9 women), without any seizures and pharmacological treatment and without cardiovascular symptoms, we found marked sinus tachycardia (heart rate 90.1±12.2 min-1) and a shorter R-R interval (678±93.6 ms) than in 27 controls (heart rate 73.6±7.7min-1, R-R 822.7±86.4 ms) (5 men, 22 women) (p<0.001). The VCG measured spatial QRS-STT angle was more opened (70.3±24.5°) than in the control group (49.5±19.5°) (p<0.05). The maximum (extremum) in depolarization (DIAM max 30, 40) and repolarization (RIAM max 35) of body surface isoarea and isointegral (RIIM max) maps was less positive (p<0.001) and the minimum (DIAM min 40) was less negative than in the controls (p<0.05) even in the period free of a panic attack. Our results showed the changes in the heart electric field parameters occurred in PD patients when compared to the control group.

Key words
Panic disorder · ECG · VCG · Body surface maps

Reprint requests
MUDr. K. Pišvejcová, Department of Psychiatry, First Medical Faculty, Charles University, Ke Karlovu 11, 120 00 Prague 2, Czech Republic.

ISSN 0862 - 8408