title: Comparison of low-dose dobutamine ventriculography with low-dose dobutamine echocardiography for predicting regional improvement in left ventricular function after coronary artery bypass grafting.
abstract: The demonstration of a contractile reserve during low-dose dobutamine echocardiography (LDDE) identifies viable myocardium and predicts recovery of left ventricular (LV) function after myocardial revascularization in patients with chronic coronary artery disease. However, a technically difficult transthoracic visualization may limit the use of LDDE, thus requiring an alternative diagnostic procedure. The present study compares LDDE with low-dose dobutamine ventriculography (LDDV) in predicting an improvement in regional LV function after surgical revascularization. We studied 18 patients with coronary artery disease and LV dysfunction who were to undergo coronary artery bypass grafting. Preoperatively, all patients were evaluated for the presence of viable myocardium using LDDE and LDDV. Follow-up echocardiography at rest and left ventriculography were performed 4 months after successful revascularization to assess recovery of LV function. The sensitivity and specificity of LDDE to identify dysfunctional segments capable of recovering function were 63% and 71%, respectively, with a diagnostic accuracy of 68%. The sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic accuracy of LDDE improved to 81%, 72%, and 76% when patients with optimal transthoracic evaluation were selected, whereas they were 30%, 77%, and 57%, respectively, in those who underwent suboptimal evaluation. The sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic accuracy of LDDV were 66%, 75%, and 71%, respectively, with no difference in subgroups of patients. This study demonstrates that LDDV can be considered a useful technique for identifying the presence of myocardial viability and may provide an advantage over LDDE in patients with suboptimal echocardiographic visualization.
authors.affiliation: Medicina Interna II, Milan, Italy. lauradv@fisiopat.sacco.unimi.it
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Dalla Vecchia
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Storti
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cogliati
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Guzzetti
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Danna
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Scrofani
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Di Biasi
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Malliani
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002316:Cardiotonic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D001026:Coronary Artery Bypass; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000601:surgery; D004280:Dobutamine / Q000008:administration & dosage; D004452:Echocardiography / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D015637:Gated Blood-Pool Imaging / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D007262:Infusions, Intravenous; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011184:Postoperative Period; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D016277:Ventricular Function, Left
chemical_list: D002316:Cardiotonic Agents; D004280:Dobutamine