Exercise-induced left ventricular regional wall motion abnormalities among patients with coronary artery disease indicate myocardial ischemia due to significant coronary artery narrowing. Recovery of such stress-induced wall motion abnormalities is thought to occur within minutes after the termination of exercise. However, in some patients, persistent contractile dysfunction has been observed up to 90 minutes into recovery. Whether persistent regional wall motion abnormalities after exercise are due to stunned myocardium (prolonged but reversible postischemic dysfunction despite restoration of blood flow) or persistent ischemia due to coronary vasoconstriction (prolonged postischemic dysfunction due to persistent reduction of regional blood flow) is not well established. It is possible that persistent but reversible left ventricular dysfunction post-exercise may represent persistent reduction in regional blood flow and/or altered regional metabolic state.