title: [Study of myocardial viability after recent infarction by echocardiography under dobutamine. Evidence of stunned myocardium].
abstract: After myocardial infarction treated by thrombolysis, secondary improvement of contractility may be observed due to the presence of viable but stunned myocardium in a zone of ischaemia. Echocardiography with lose dose Dobutamine has been proposed as a diagnostic test of myocardial viability. The inotropic effect of the pharmacological agent improves or induces myocardial thickening in zones of ischaemia. A positive response is observed in about one out of two cases. The sensitivity ranges from 79 to 86% and the specificity from 68 to 90% in the reported series. This mode of stress echocardiography for the study of post-infarction myocardial viability is under clinical evaluation: its advantages and limitations should be compared with those of other non-invasive methods, especially thallium myocardial scintigraphy.
authors.affiliation: Fédération de cardiologie, Hôpital Henri-Mondor, Créteil.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Guéret
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Monin
authors.forename: A F
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Chazouilleres
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Weber
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Duval
mesh_terms: D002316:Cardiotonic Agents; D004280:Dobutamine; D004452:Echocardiography; D006321:Heart / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology*; D017682:Myocardial Stunning / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*
chemical_list: D002316:Cardiotonic Agents; D004280:Dobutamine