title: Detection of coronary artery disease with exercise two-dimensional echocardiography. Description of a clinically applicable method and comparison with radionuclide ventriculography.
abstract: Two-dimensional echocardiography (2-D echo) was performed in 73 patients evaluated for coronary artery disease (CAD) and in four normal volunteers before and immediately after a maximal treadmill exercise test. Diagnostic images were obtained from the apical and parasternal windows. In 17 patients with normal coronary arteriograms, ejection fraction (EF) increased from 66 +/- 9% (+/- SD) at rest to 73 +/- 8% after exercise (p less than 0.001), while in 56 patients with proved CAD, EF fell from 56 +/- 13% at rest to 53 +/- 16% after exercise (p less than 0.01). The sensitivity of postexercise 2-D echo for detecting CAD (based on abnormal EF response and/or regional dyssynergy) was 91% (51 of 56 patients) and the specificity was 88% (15 of 17). Sensitivity for one-, two- and three-vessel disease was 64% (seven of 11), 95% (20 of 21) and 100%, respectively. Patients with multivessel disease showed a significant fall in a wall motion score index, from 0.79 +/- 0.25 to 0.63 +/- 0.26. Exercise radionuclide ventriculography (RNV) was also performed in 41 of the subjects (17 normals and 24 CAD patients) on a bicycle ergometer. The overall sensitivity of 2-D echo in this subgroup was 92%, compared with 71% for RNV. The sensitivity of 2-D echo for one-vessel disease (n = 4) was 50%, that for two-vessel disease (n = 12) was 100% and that for three-vessel disease (n = 12) was 100%. Respective values for RNV were 0%, 80% and 90%. The specificity of 2-D echo was 88% and that of RNV was 82%. A significantly higher peak heart rate response was observed on the treadmill than on the bicycle ergometer in both CAD patients and normal subjects. We conclude that postexercise 2-D echo is a clinically applicable technique for the diagnosis and evaluation of CAD patients and compares favorably with exercise RNV.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000175:diagnosis*; D004452:Echocardiography; D004562:Electrocardiography; D004912:Erythrocytes; D005080:Exercise Test; D005260:Female; D006321:Heart / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006339:Heart Rate; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009200:Myocardial Contraction; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D013670:Sodium Pertechnetate Tc 99m; D013318:Stroke Volume; D013667:Technetium
chemical_list: D013667:Technetium; D013670:Sodium Pertechnetate Tc 99m