Muscular tenderness in the anterior chest wall in patients with stable angina pectoris is associated with normal myocardial perfusion.

Objective: This study examines the relationship between the existence of chest wall tenderness evoked by palpation and the absence of ischemic heart disease defined by myocardial perfusion imaging in patients with known or suspected stable angina pectoris.

Methods: Two hundred seventy-five patients were recruited. Myocardial perfusion imaging was performed on 273 of the subjects.