Doppler myocardial imaging in the assessment of regional myocardial function in longitudinal direction pre- and post-PTCA

Abstract

Aims: Doppler myocardial imaging is potentially a sensitive tool to assess regional myocardial velocities pre- and post-percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) as a marker of contractility to evaluate short- to medium-term information on functional myocardial recovery following the release of ischaemia. Methods: Thirty patients with single vessel disease were studied to assess regional myocardial peak systolic velocity, systolic velocity time integral and mitral valve plane excursion in longitudinal direction one day pre-, one day post- and 3 months post-PTCA. The patients were assigned to group A with coronary stenoses >70% and group B with stenoses <70%. Results: In group A pre-PTCA the ischaemic segments showed a significantly lower peak systolic velocity and velocity time integral compared with the values one day after PTCA (5.8 ± 1.4 vs 7.7 ± 1.4 cm.s-1; 1.06 ± 0.22 vs 1.23 ± 0.28 cm; P< 0.03). In contrast, mitral valve plane excursion in this group remained unchanged after PTCA for both the ischaemic and non-ischaemic left ventricular wall. In group B no changes of these parameters and no differences in mitral valve plane excursion of the ischaemic and the non-ischaemic left ventricular wall could be seen. Conclusion: With Doppler myocardial imaging it was possible to quantify a number of indices which changed due to the successful release of ischaemia.© 2001 The European Society of Cardiology.