[Evaluation of myocardial perfusion using intravenous contrast echocardiography]

The aim of the study was to assess the accuracy of rest myocardial contrast echocardiography (MCE) in detecting perfusion abnormalities after intravenous contrast administration in chronic coronary artery disease. In 21 patients (mean age 49 years) contrast agent was injected intravenously. ATL HDI 5000 ultrasound machine was used. Triggering every fifth cardiac cycle in end-systole apical 2-chamber, 3-chamber and 4-chamber views were used. All patients underwent thallium scintigraphy on the same day and coronary angiography was performed within 24 hours. Second harmonic imaging and power Doppler were used in assessing presence or absence of perfusion, localization and extent of perfusion defects, and their relation with wall motion. In the first group all the 13 patients after myocardial infarction had akinetic segments on echocardiography in accordance with the coronary occlusion detected by coronary angiography. In the second group none of the 8 patients without previous myocardial infarction had wall motion abnormality. Group I: dividing the left ventricle into 16 segments out of 208 segments 44 were akinetic. Perfusion defect was detected by MCE in 29 segments. In 12 segments with wall motion abnormality the normal myocardial perfusion was consistent with viable myocardium, 2 inferior akinetic segments could not be evaluated due to contrast attenuation and in one inferior segment MCE in contrast to the thallium scintigraphy showed no perfusion defect. Group II: good contrast effect was detected in all 128 segments except one inferior segment in which there was a fixed perfusion defect also by thallium scintigraphy and coronary angiography revealed occluded right coronary artery. In conclusion MCE and second harmonic triggered imaging is comparable with thallium scintigraphy in detecting fixed perfusion abnormalities. MCE may contribute to the detection of viable myocardium.