AIM The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of myocardial wall-motion and perfusion assessment using contrast echocardiography during real-time three-dimensional (RT3D) adenosine stress test, and compare its diagnostic accuracy with the two-dimensional (2D) method using coronary angiography as reference. METHODS AND RESULTS Patients with known or suspected coronary artery diseas...

The increasing number of publications in the field of equine stress echocardiography demonstrates the growing interest in this area. Stress echocardiography consists of Band/or M-mode echocardiography under active or passive stimulation of the heart, where the pre-stimulation images are compared to those obtained during or immediately after stimulation. In human medicine, stress echocardiograph...

S tress echocardiography (pharmaceutical or exercise) represents an important diagnostic method for the evaluation of coronary artery disease (myocardial ischemia and/or viability). The commonest protocol applied in stress echocardiography is carried out with intravenous administration of dobutamineatropine. Although some adverse reactions may appear during this procedure, many studies have pro...

OBJECTIVES This study was designed to assess the clinical, hemodynamic and diagnostic effects of the addition of dobutamine to dipyridamole echocardiography. BACKGROUND Pharmacologic stress echocardiography with either dipyridamole or dobutamine has gained acceptance because of its safety, feasibility, diagnostic accuracy and prognostic power. The main limitation of the two tests is a less th...

It is likely that a close association exists between findings obtained by two methods: dobutamine stress echocardiography and 123I-MIBG scintigraphy. Both of these methods are associated with beta-adrenergic receptor mechanisms. This study was conducted to demonstrate the relation between myocardial response to dobutamine stress and sympathetic nerve release of norepinephrine in the failing hea...

In recent years, stress echocardiography has gained broad acceptance as a non-invasive method for the diagnosis of coronary artery disease. Facing different protocols, dosages and instrumentation, official guidelines for the performance, standardization and quality control of stress echocardiograms are needed; however, so far they are not available. This paper recommends the type of personnel a...

In the present article we review the main published data on the application of Tissue Doppler Imaging (TDI) to stress echocardiography for the detection of myocardial ischemia. TDI has been applied to stress echocardiography in order to overcome the limitations of visual analysis for myocardial ischemia. The introduction of a new technology for clinical routine use should pass through the diffe...

Cardiac stress testing with noninvasive imaging is increasingly used not only to detect the presence of coronary artery disease (CAD), but also to help to select appropriate therapy according to the extent and severity of disease. To that end, there have been continuous efforts to improve the performance of all forms of stress testing. For example, recent advances in stress radionuclide imaging...

AIMS Regadenoson is comparable to adenosine in pharmacologic radionuclide stress tests but has not been studied with stress myocardial contrast echocardiography. This study assessed the haemodynamic profile and ability of regadenoson, a novel selective A(2A) receptor agonist, to detect coronary artery stenosis during myocardial contrast echocardiography. METHODS AND RESULTS Myocardial contras...

BACKGROUND Circulating microRNAs (miRNAs/miRs) are regulated in patients with coronary artery disease. The impact of transient coronary ischemia on circulating miRNA levels is unknown. We aimed to investigate circulating miRNA kinetics in response to cardiac stress in patients with or without significant coronary stenosis. METHODS AND RESULTS Eighty of 105 screened patients with stable corona...