Digital high frame rate stress echocardiography for detection of coronary artery stenosis by high dose dipyridamole stress testing

Aim. To compare markers of high cardiovascular risk and stress echocardiography results depending on the type of blood pressure (BP) response to exercise in patients without obstructive coronary artery disease.Material and methods. Our single-center cross-sectional study included 96 patients without hemodynamically significant coronary artery stenosis according to coronary angiography or multislice computed tomography angiography. All patients underwent physical examination, cardiovascular risk stratification, electrocardiography, extracranial cerebrovascular ultrasound, echocardiography, treadmill exercise stress echocardiography.Results. According to the test results, the patients were divided into groups with a hypertensive response (n=41) and a normal response to exercise (n=55). Patients with hypertensive response to exercise had significantly higher values of left ventricular mass index (100,0 (90,0; 107,0) g/m2 vs 76,0 (68,0; 91,0) g/m2, p<0,0000001) and left atrial volume index (36,7 (32,0; 46,0) ml/m2 vs 29,7 (26,3; 32,0) ml/m2, p=0,000003). There was also a higher level of cardiovascular SCORE risk (5,0 (2,0; 6,0) vs 2,0 (1,0; 3,0), p=0,004); patients more often had associated clinical conditions (36,6% vs 12,7%, χ2=7,57, p=0,006) and left ventricular diastolic dysfunction (39,02% vs 78,18%, χ2=15,21, p=0,0001). Pathological BP increase during stress echocardiography was associated with worse exercise tolerance (7,4 (5,6; 10,0) METs vs 10,2 (8,4; 11,95) METs, p=0,000041) and more frequent transient regional contractility impairment (46,34% vs 1,8%, p<0,00001), mainly of the lateral and inferior left ventricular walls.Conclusion. Despite the absence of coronary artery stenosis, patients with hypertensive response to exercise are significantly more likely to have markers of high cardiovascular risk and require more careful monitoring of risk factors. Also, the hypertensive response to exercise is associated with more frequent regional contractility impairment even without coronary artery stenosis.

Download Full-text

Abstract 2941: Combined Assessment of Coronary Artery Stenosis and Myocardial Ischemia by Rest-Dipyridamole Stress Multidetector Computed Tomography

Circulation ◽

10.1161/circ.116.suppl_16.ii_656-b ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 116 (suppl_16) ◽

Author(s):

Patricia M Carrascosa ◽

Carlos Capuñay ◽

Jorge Carrascosa ◽

Alejandro Deviggiano ◽

Alejandro Goldsmit ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Computed Tomography ◽

Coronary Artery Disease ◽

Coronary Artery ◽

Myocardial Ischemia ◽

Contrast Enhancement ◽

Coronary Artery Stenosis ◽

Artery Stenosis ◽

Artery Disease ◽

Mdct Coronary Angiography ◽

Dipyridamole Stress

Introduction: MDCT coronary angiography has been evolving as a noninvasive method for the assessment of coronary artery disease (CAD). More recently, It has been demonstrated that MDCT identifies reduced contrast enhancement in ischemic and/or scarred myocardial segments. Objective: to determine the ability of rest-stress multidetector computed tomography (RS-MDCT) to detect myocardial ischemia and to assess the relationship between MDCT myocardial perfusion abnormalities and coronary artery stenosis. Methods: Forty seven patients underwent stress/rest 99mTc sestamibi SPECT and RS-MDCT, using a 16-row detector scanner (Philips Brilliance-16). Myocardial segments were classified by SPECT as normal, ischemic or scarred. SPECT results were then compared with MDCT regional myocardial contrast enhancement. The results of MDCT coronary angiography were also analyzed in 20 patients who underwent invasive catheterization. Results: The presence of a reduction in contrast enhancement at rest by MDCT identified scar by SPECT with 96% sensitivity and 98% specificity. A stress-induced reduction in contrast enhancement by MDCT identified ischemia by SPECT with 77% sensitivity and 99% specificity. The segment-based sensitivity and specificity for the detection of significant stenosis by MDCT were 92% and 98%, respectively. Conclusion: Our results showed that a rest-dipyridamole stress MDCT protocol can identify the presence of myocardial ischemia as well as the severity of coronary artery stenosis in patients with suspected coronary artery disease.

Download Full-text