title: Coronary flow reserve of normal left anterior descending artery in patients with ischemic heart disease: A transesophageal Doppler study.
abstract: The aim of this study was to investigate the flow reserve of a normal left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) of other epicardial vessels by Doppler transesophageal echocardiography (TEE). Thirty-one consecutive patients (age 59 +/- 8 years; 23 men) referred for TEE were considered. Eighteen patients had CAD and a 70% or greater LAD stenosis (group 1); 13 patients had right and/or circumflex CAD (>/=70% stenosis) and normal or minimally diseased LAD (group 2). Ten patients (age 54 +/- 11 years) with normal coronary arteries constituted group 3. Baseline and adenosine (0.160 microg/kg per minute intravenously over 60 minutes) flow velocities in the LAD were measured by pulsed Doppler examination during TEE. Peak and mean systolic and diastolic flow velocities were calculated. Adenosine/baseline peak and mean velocity ratios were used for evaluating blood flow reserve in the LAD. Heart rate and arterial pressure values were similar in the 3 groups at baseline and during adenosine infusion. Baseline and adenosine-related flow velocities were comparable in the 3 groups. Peak and mean diastolic velocity ratios were lower in groups 1 and 2 compared with group 3 (peak velocity ratio 1.68 +/- 0.81 and 1.93 +/- 0.35 vs 2.62 +/- 0.32, P <. 05; mean velocity ratio 1.71 +/- 0.86 and 2.01 +/- 0.41 vs 2.84 +/- 0.74, P <.05), whereas no differences were found between groups 1 and 2. No significant differences were found in systolic flow velocity ratios among the 3 groups. Patients with ischemic heart disease have a reduced diastolic flow velocity reserve in the LAD independent from the presence of significant LAD stenosis. Thus the adenosine TEE-Doppler study should be considered a screening test for CAD rather than for LAD disease.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, S. Spirito Hospital, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Coletta
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Galati
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ricci
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sestili
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Aspromonte
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Richichi
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Ceci
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity; D017023:Coronary Angiography; D003331:Coronary Vessels / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D015150:Echocardiography, Doppler; D017548:Echocardiography, Transesophageal; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017202:Myocardial Ischemia / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012039:Regional Blood Flow; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity