Distribution of coronary artery disease. Prediction by echocardiography.

Abstract

To assess the sensitivity of standard echocardiography in detecting ventricular motion abnormalities in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) without prior myocardial infarction, 56 consecutive patients with a history of angina pectoris were studied during an angina-free period. In the 48 patients with adequate echocardiograms, the amplitude of septal and posterior wall motion in the high, mid and low left ventricle was determined and used to predict prospectively in a blinded fashion the sites of angiographically determined CAD. Of 35 patients, 28 (80%) with disease of the left anterior descending artery (LAD) had diminished interventricular septal motion (P < 0.001) and 14 of 27 patients (52%) with disease of posterior vessels had diminished posterior wall motion on echocardiogram. When abnormalities of echocardiographic wall motion were compared with left ventriculography, the results were similar. Echocardiography may aid in predicting the presence and distribution of CAD, especially LAD disease.