title: Additional help to diagnose functionally significant left main coronary artery stenosis: doppler echocardiography.
abstract: Doppler echocardiography is a widely used non-invasive method for the evaluation of coronary flow velocities and reserve. We report a case that demonstrates the possible additive role of transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) in the diagnosis of significant left main coronary artery (LM) stenosis in a chest pain patient. Coronary angiography showed no significant LM stenosis. During TTE with pulsed-Doppler measurements, a significant increase in coronary flow velocities could be demonstrated in the distal LM. Intravascular ultrasound confirmed a significant soft plaque in the distal LM. The present case suggests that Doppler TTE may have an additional role in the diagnosis of significant LM stenosis in symptomatic patients. A colour Doppler flow acceleration with high velocities in the LM could raise the suspicion of significant LM stenosis, even if the stenosis cannot be detected by standard coronary angiography.
authors.affiliation: 2nd Department of Medicine and Cardiology Centre, Faculty of Medicine, Albert Szent-Györgyi Clinical Centre, University of Szeged, Hungary.
authors.forename: Zoltán
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Ruzsa
authors.forename: Edit
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Nagy
authors.forename: Imre
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Ungi
authors.forename: Tamás
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Forster
authors.forename: Attila
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pálinkás
authors.forename: Attila
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nemes
mesh_terms: D023921:Coronary Stenosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D015150:Echocardiography, Doppler; D018618:Echocardiography, Doppler, Color; D018619:Echocardiography, Doppler, Pulsed; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018084:Ultrasonography, Interventional