As the first results of a prospective study on the value of programmed ventricular stimulation, the incidence of repetitive ventricular response with 3 or more consecutive beats (RVR3) in 136 patients (122 males, 14 females, age 51 +/- 8 years) with coronary artery disease is reported. 38 patients (group A) had no evidence of previous myocardial infarction, 31 patients (group B) had myocardial infarction less than 3 months and 67 patients (group C) more than 3 months before entry into the study. Programmed electrical stimulation included single (S2) and double (S2 S3) ventricular premature beats following ventricular drive at 3 cycle lengths (500, 600 and 430 msec) and was defined as positive (+PES) when RVR3 was induced. +PES was related to the extent and the degree of abnormal left ventricular wall motion, determined by left ventricular angiography (30 degrees RAO view) and quantified by a wall motion score. After single premature stimuli no RVR3 was observed in group A, but in 7% of group B and in 19% of group C (p less than 0.01). After double premature stimuli RVR3 occurred in 17% of group A, 42% of group B and 34% of group C (p less than 0.1). All 3 groups differed with respect to mean wall motion score and number of akinetic wall segments (p less than 0.001). Patients with positive (+PES) or negative (-PES) results could not be separated when the extent of wall motion abnormalities (wall motion score, number of akinetic segments) was considered. However, a relation (p less than 0.01) to the degree of abnormal wall motion classified according to the presence of normokinesis, hypokinesis, akinesis or dyskinesis could be demonstrated for +PES after single but not after double premature stimuli.