title: Significance of the distal to proximal coronary flow velocity ratio by transthoracic Doppler echocardiography for diagnosis of proximal left coronary artery stenosis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study was designed to evaluate the significance of accelerated coronary flow velocity in the proximal left coronary artery by transthoracic Doppler echocardiography for detecting coronary stenosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Seventy subjects with suspected coronary artery disease underwent successful coronary flow velocity measurement in both proximal and distal lesions by transthoracic Doppler echocardiography and coronary angiography.
  
  
  RESULTS
  On the basis of the coronary angiography results, 23 patients had significant (> or =50%) stenosis in the proximal left coronary artery (Group S) and 47 patients had no stenosis (Group N). The distal averaged diastolic peak velocity to proximal averaged diastolic peak velocity ratio (DAPAR) in Group S was significantly lower than that in Group N. A cutoff value of DAPAR < or = 0.5 for DAPAR predicted significant coronary stenosis with a sensitivity of 91% and a specificity of 72%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Measurement of the DAPAR by transthoracic Doppler echocardiography is a promising method in the noninvasive diagnosis of stenosis in the proximal left coronary artery lesion.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, Department of Integrated Medicine and Informatics, Ehime University Graduate School of Medicine, Toon, Japan. hiokayam@m.ehime-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Hideki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Okayama
authors.forename: Kazuhisa
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nishimura
authors.forename: Makoto
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Saito
authors.forename: Katsuji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Inoue
authors.forename: Go
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Hiasa
authors.forename: Takumi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sumimoto
authors.forename: Akiyoshi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ogimoto
authors.forename: Tomoaki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ohtsuka
authors.forename: Yuji
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shigematsu
authors.forename: Jitsuo
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Higaki
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity; D017023:Coronary Angiography; D003326:Coronary Circulation; D023921:Coronary Stenosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003331:Coronary Vessels / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D018618:Echocardiography, Doppler, Color; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D006439:Hemodynamics; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male