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Does contrast echocardiography with Optison induce myocardial necrosis in humans?
Adrian C Borges1, Torsten Walde, Rona K Reibis
1Medizinische Klinik (Kardiologie, Pneumologie und Angiologie), Universitätsklinikum Charité, Humboldt-Universität, Berlin, Germany. adrian.borges@charite.de
Summary
Contrast echocardiography is a safe diagnostic tool for assessing heart microvascular integrity. This study found no evidence of myocardial damage in human patients undergoing the procedure.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Medical Imaging
- Echocardiography
Background:
- Myocardial contrast echocardiography (MCE) shows promise for detecting microvascular integrity.
- Previous animal studies indicated potential for ultrasound-induced myocardial damage with microbubble contrast agents.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the risk of contrast ultrasonically induced myocardial damage in human patients.
- To evaluate the safety of MCE in a clinical setting.
Main Methods:
- Twenty patients underwent MCE using intravenous Optison with a mechanical index of at least 1.4.
- Cardiac biomarkers including creatine kinase (CK), CK-isoenzyme MB (CK-MB), myoglobin, and troponin I were measured pre- and post-procedure.
Main Results:
- No significant correlation was found between cardiac biomarkers and MCE at any time point.
- Elevated troponin I in two patients was attributed to renal and severe heart failure, not the procedure.
- The study demonstrated no demonstrated risk of myocardial damage.
Conclusions:
- Contrast echocardiography with intravenous Optison is safe and does not cause myocardial damage.
- The diagnostic utility of MCE for microvascular integrity can be utilized without significant procedural risk.