Adenosine triphosphate stress echocardiography in the detection of myocardial ischemia

The purpose of this study was to assess feasibility and safety in the diagnosis of coronary artery in the diagnosis of coronary artery disease and myocardial ischemia using adenosine triphosphate (ATP) stress echocardiography. ATP, a product of human myocardial tissue, is more potent than adenosine in increasing coronary blood flow. Like adenosine, ATP also has a short half-life (<10 s). Left ventricular echocardiograms were recorded during step-wise infusions of ATP in 86 patients who underwent coronary angiography and stress thallium 201 scintigraphy. No serious complications occurred with ATP infusion and most of the side effects were mild and transient. Significant coronary artery disease (>75% diameter stenosis) was present in 34 of 48 patients who had normal echocardiograms at rest. The sensitivity and specificity of ATP-induced wall motion abnormalities for coronary artery disease was 65% (22 of 34) and 100% (14 of 14), respectively. The sensitivity was 50% (10 of 20) in those with one-vessel disease and 86% (12 of 14) in those with multivessel disease (P < .05). In patients with normal echocardiograms at rest and without prior myocardial infarction, the sensitivity of ATP stress echocardiography for the detection of myocardial ischemia assessed by 201Tl single proton emission computed tomography was 58%, with a specificity of 76%, and a diagnostic accuracy of 66%. The sensitivity was 43% in those with one-vessel disease, and 86% in those with multivessel disease (P = .05). In patients with prior myocardial infarction, the sensitivity of ATP stress echocardiography for the detection of viable but jeopardized myocardium was 81%, with a specificity of 91%. The patients with well-developed collateral circulation had a higher incidence of developing wall motion abnormality than those without collaterals (70% v 40%, P < .01). ATP stress echocardiography is valuable for the assessment of coronary artery disease in patients with multivessel disease, coronary collaterals, and with prior myocardial infarction.