New noninvasive diagnosis of myocardial ischemia of the left circumflex coronary artery using coronary flow reserve measurement by transthoracic Doppler echocardiography: comparison with thallium-201 single photon emission computed tomography

OBJECTIVES: The usefulness of coronary flow reserve measurement in the left circumflex coronary artery by transthoracic Doppler echocardiography to detect myocardial ischemia was compared with exercise thallium-201 single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). METHODS: Transthoracic Doppler echocardiography was performed in 110 patients with suspected coronary artery disease. Color Doppler signals of the left circumflex coronary artery flow in the apical four-chamber view were identified, and the velocities at rest and during hyperemia recorded for calculation of coronary flow reserve by the pulsed Doppler method. All patients underwent SPECT within 1 week of the transthoracic Doppler echocardiographic study. RESULTS: Coronary flow reserve in the left circumflex coronary artery was measured in 79 (72%) of 110 patients. SPECT revealed reversible perfusion defect in the left circumflex coronary artery territories in 12 of 69 patients excluding those with multivessel disease. Coronary flow reserve < 2.0 had a sensitivity of 92% and specificity of 96% for reversible perfusion defect detected by SPECT. CONCLUSIONS: Noninvasive coronary flow reserve measurement in the left circumflex coronary artery by transthoracic Doppler echocardiography can estimate myocardial ischemia in the left ventricular lateral regions.