Early assessment of coronary revascularization by dobutamine stress echocardiography

ABSTRACT

In order to assess the use of dobutamine stress echocardiography [DSE]in the evaluation of patients early after coronary revascularization, the test was performed within one day before and from one-three days after angioplasty in 52 patients [30 with single vessel disease [SVD] and 22 with multivessel disease [MVD]]and in 25 patients one-three days before and ten-fourteen days after coronary artery bypass grafting [CABG]. Before angioplasty, 42 patients [77% SVD and 86% MVD] developed new wall motion abnormalities [WMA] compared with 11 [10% SDV and 36% MVD] after angioplasty. Before angioplasty, mean wall motion score index [WMSI] increased significantly from baseline to peak dobutamine. After angioplasty, there was insignificant increase in WMSI. The frequency of chest pain decreased after angioplasty, before angioplasty twenty-three patients developed chest pain compared with nine after angioplasty. Before angioplasty, thirteen patients developed ST changes and seven had ST changes after angioplasty. Before CABG, twenty-three patients developed new WMA compared with six after CABG. Before CABG, mean WMSI increased from baseline to peak dobutamine. After CABG, there was insignificant increase in WMSI. The frequency of chest pain decreased after CABG, before CABG thirteen patients developed chest pain compared with four after CABG. Before CABG, thirteen patients developed ST changes and three had ST changes after CABG. The results indicated that DSE is a feasible and safe method that accurately demonstrated an early improvement in stress-induced regional WMA