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Transthoracic echocardiographic measurement of coronary artery diameter: validation against quantitative coronary
D J Hildick-Smith1, L M Shapiro
1Department of Cardiology, Papworth Hospital, Cambridgeshire, England, UK.
Insights
Transthoracic echocardiography is a valid method for measuring distal left anterior descending (LAD) coronary artery diameter. This non-invasive technique showed good correlation with quantitative coronary angiography in male patients.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Medical Imaging
- Vascular Ultrasound
Background:
- Invasive methods like cardiac catheterization are standard for assessing coronary artery diameter.
- Non-invasive validation of transthoracic echocardiography for distal left anterior descending (LAD) coronary artery diameter measurement is lacking.
- Accurate measurement of LAD diameter is crucial for diagnosing and managing coronary artery disease.
Purpose of the Study:
- To validate the use of transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) for measuring distal left anterior descending (LAD) coronary artery diameter in vivo.
- To compare TTE measurements with quantitative coronary angiography (QCA) findings.
- To establish the reliability and accuracy of TTE for distal LAD diameter assessment.
Main Methods:
- Transthoracic echocardiography was performed on 65 male patients prior to cardiac catheterization.
- The distal LAD was successfully imaged in 41 patients.
- Measurements from TTE were compared with those obtained from QCA in 29 patients with angiographically normal distal LAD.
Main Results:
- The distal LAD was successfully visualized using TTE in 63% of patients.
- Echocardiographic measurements of distal LAD diameter ranged from 0.14 to 0.28 cm (mean 0.20 cm).
- Angiographic measurements ranged from 0.12 to 0.28 cm (mean 0.195 cm), showing good correlation (r=0.925) with TTE.
- The maximum discrepancy between TTE and QCA was 0.03 cm, with limits of agreement of +0.032 to -0.024 cm.
Conclusions:
- Transthoracic echocardiography is a valid and reliable non-invasive technique for measuring distal left anterior descending coronary artery diameter.
- TTE offers a comparable alternative to QCA for assessing distal LAD diameter, with good accuracy.
- This validation supports the potential use of TTE in clinical settings for evaluating the distal LAD.
Abstract:
There has been no in vivo validation of the use of transthoracic echocardiography to measure distal left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) diameter. We therefore undertook transthoracic echocardiography on 65 male patients immediately before cardiac catheterization to compare echocardiographic and angiographic findings. The distal LAD was successfully imaged in 41 (63%) patients; 29 of these had an angiographically normal distal LAD as assessed by an independent cardiologist and formed the study group. Transthoracic echocardiographic and quantitative coronary angiographic measurements of distal LAD diameter were made. Echocardiographic measurements ranged from 0.14 to 0.28 cm (mean 0.20 cm). Angiographic results ranged from 0.12 to 0.28 cm (mean 0.195 cm). Correlation between techniques was good (r=.925). The maximum discrepancy between transthoracic echocardiography and quantitative coronary angiography was 0.03 cm. Limits of agreement were +0.032 to -0.024 cm. We conclude that transthoracic echocardiography is a valid technique for measurement of distal LAD diameter.