Percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty as assessted by stress echo VS stress thallium - 201 studies

ABSTRACT

This study was designed to assess the relationship between stress exercise echocardiography [echo] and 201-TI single photon emission computed tomography [SPECT] applied simultaneously in ten patients who were candidates for percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty [PTCA]. The study also aimed to assess the relation of the development of exercise induced wall motion abnormalities [echo], transient perfusion defects [SPECT] vs coronary artery disease [CAD] severity. The functional improvement after PTCA was compared. Before PTCA, there was 80% agreement between stress echo [new wall motion abnormalities] and SPECT [transient perfusion defects]. The results indicated that patients with critical CAD had a positive echo and SPECT. Four weeks after PTCA, an ischemic response at stress echo was found in 20% of the patients, while SPECT was positive in 40% of the cases. It was concluded that exercise echo and 201-TI SPECT are useful non-invasive tools for the functional assessment of patients before and after successful PTCA