ABSTRACT
Exercise stress echocardiography (ESE) is a widely used diagnostic test in cardiology departments. ESE is mainly used to study patients with coronary artery disease; however, it has increasingly been used in other clinical scenarios including valve pathology, congenital heart disease, hypertrophic and dilated cardiomyopathies, athlete evaluations, diastolic function evaluation, and pulmonary circulation study. In our laboratories, we use an established methodology in which cardiac function is evaluated while exercising on a treadmill. After completing the exercise regimen, patients remain in a standing position or lie down on the left lateral decubitus, depending on the clinical questions to be answered for further evaluation. This method increases the quality and quantity of information obtained. Here, we present the various methods of exercise stress echocardiography and our experience in many clinical arenas in detail. We also present alternatives to ESE that may be used and their advantages and disadvantages. We review recent advances in ESE and future directions for this established method in the study of cardiac patients and underline the advantage of using a diagnostic tool that is radiation-free.
ABSTRACT
A cardiomiopatia de Takotsubo se caracteriza por alterações reversíveis na função sistólica e segmentar do ventrículo esquerdo associada à coronariografia normal. O choque associado a essa cardiomiopatia é causado por disfunção sistólica e/ou obstrução dinâmica do trato de saída do ventrículo esquerdo. A identificação da etiologia do choque tem implicações terapêuticas. Relata-se o caso de paciente feminina, 76 anos, com cardiomiopatia de Takotsubo cuja apresentação mimetizou infarto agudo do miocárdio complicado com choque cardiogênico. O choque foi revertido após administração endovenosa de propranolol.
Takotsubo cardiomyopathy is characterized by reversible changes in the systolic and segmental left ventricular function associated with normal coronariography. The shock associated with this cardiomyopathy is caused by left ventricular systolic dysfunction and/or dynamic left ventricular outflow tract obstruction. Identification of the etiology of the shock has implications for treatment. This case study reports on a 76-year-old women diagnosed with Takotsubo cardiomyopathy whose presentation mimicked an acute myocardial infarction complicated by cardiogenic shock. The shock was reversed after intravenous administration of propanolol.
