Background: Recently revised American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association guidelines have suggested that exercise test scores be used in decisions concerning patients with suspected coronary artery disease (CAD). Pretest and exercise test scores derived for use in women without known CAD have not been tested in women with a low prevalence of CAD.
Methods: Within the Women's Ischemia Syndrome Evaluation (WISE) study, we evaluated 563 women undergoing coronary angiography for suspected myocardial ischemia. The prevalence of angiographic CAD was 26%. Overall, 189 women underwent treadmill exercise testing. Prognostic end points included death, myocardial infarction, stroke, and revascularization.
Results: Each score stratified women into 3 probability groups (P <.001) according to the prevalence of coronary disease: Pretest: low 20/164 (12%), intermediate 53/245 (22%), high 75/154 (49%); Exercise test: low 11/83 (13%), intermediate 22/74 (30%), high 17/32 (53%). However, the Duke score did not stratify as well: low 7/46 (15%), intermediate 36/126 (29%), high 6/17 (35%); P =.44. When pretest and exercise scores were considered together, the best stratification with the exercise test score was in the intermediate pretest group (P <.03). The Duke score did not stratify this group at all (P =.98). Pretest and exercise test scores also stratified women according to prognostic end points: pretest--low 7/164 (4.3%), intermediate 28/245 (11.4%), high 27/154 (17.5%), P <.01; exercise test--low 4/83 (4.8%) and intermediate-high 17/106 (16%), P =.014.
Conclusion: Both pretest and exercise test scores performed better than the Duke score in stratifying women with a low prevalence of angiographic CAD. The exercise test score appears useful in women with an intermediate pretest score, consistent with American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association guidelines.