The author studied 78 patients (60 males and 18 females) aged 36 to 60 years (mean age 50 +/- 6 years). They all were diagnosed as having coronary heart disease (CHD) concurrent with arterial hypertension. Transesophageal atrial pacing test (TEACT) was positive in 68 (87.2%), and negative in 4 (5.1%) patients. It failed to reach diagnostic ECG criteria in 6 (7.7%) patients. A close relationship was found between the number of diseased coronary arteries and the sensitivity of TEACT. The TEACT parameters were found to be related to bicycle ergometric ones. The findings showed that the threshold rate of induced rhythm decreased when the patients increased their functional class of exercise-induced angina pectoris, the appearance of ST-segment depression being delayed and its disappearance increased. Thus, transesophageal atrial pacing allows the functional class to be defined in patients with CHD concurrent with arterial hypertension from the threshold rate of imposed rhythm and the time of ST-segment depression appearance and disappearance and can be useful both in the diagnosis and appraisal of the working capacity in patients with coronary heart disease concurrent with arterial hypertension.