ABSTRACT
Standard methods for the measurement of myocardial perfusion are invasive and require cardiac catheterization or the use of radioisotope dyes. The coronary sinus blood flow [CSBF] is an appropriate criterion for the efficacy of myocardial perfusion. This study sought to measure CSBF via transthoracic echocardiography [TTE] in patients with acute myocardial infarction [AMI] and to assess its relation with left ventricular ejection fraction [LVEF], wall motion scoring index [WMSI], and in-hospital mortality. This case-control study evaluated 20 patients [pts] with anterior AMI and 20 healthy individuals as controls over a 6-month period [in 2005] in Madani Heart Center in Tabriz [Iran]. All the patients received the same drugs for AMI treatment [e.g. fibrinolytic]. CSBF and WMSI, having been obtained via TTE, were compared between the two groups. Baseline variables were similar between the two groups [P>0.05]. CSBF in the AMI group was 287.8 +/- 128 ml/ min and in the control group was 415_127 ml/min [P=0.001]. There was a significant correlation between CSBF and LVEF [r=0.52, P=0.01], between CSBF and WMSI [r=-0.77, P=0.0001], and between CSBF and in-hospital mortality [r=0.58, P=0.03]. Our study demonstrated a good correlation between CSBF measured with 2D-doppler TTE and LVEF, WMSI, and in-hospital mortality