Noninvasive assessment of coronary artery flow reserve by transthoracic Doppler echocardiography in patients with coronary artery disease

Abstract

Objective To assess the feasibility of evaluation of coronary flow reserve (CFR) for left anterior descending (LAD),left circumflex (LCx),and right coronary posterior descending artery(PDA) as well as diagnostic accuracy for patency of each branches by transthoracic Doppler echocardiography (TTDE). Methods CFR of main coronary artery branches at the distal sites were studied by TTDE with adenosine infusion (140 μg · kg-1 · min-1) in 439 consecutive patients with suspected coronary heart disease. The relations between CFR and stenosis rates of coronary bifurcations were analyzed. Results Twenty-eight of LAD,12 of LCx and 21 of PDA were occluded in 439 patients. The success rate of CFR assessment of LAD, LCx and PDA were 96.8% (395/411), 74.9% (320/427), 83.0% (347/418)respectively. Then CFR≤2.0 and CFR≤1.7 were chosen as the criteria of coronary stenosis (≥50 %) and severe stenosis(≥75%). The sensitivity and specificity of detection of LAD,LCx and PDA stenosis were 81% and 87% ,64% and 82%, 79% and 85%, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of diagnosis of LAD, LCx and PDA severe stenosis were 86% and 81%, 70% and 85%, 81% and 82%, respectively.Conclusions CFR evaluation of main coronary artery branches has high feasibility and can provide valuable information for relevant vessel patency. Key words: Echocardiography,Doppler; Coronary disease; Fractional flow reserve,myocardial