Abstract Aim: To clarify the value of dobutamine stress tissue Doppler in the evaluation of LV
functional improvement after elective PCI.
Methods: The study included 60 patients with hibernating viable myocardium proved by DSE
referred for an evaluation of myocardial viability prior to revascularization. Hemodynamic and
echocardiographic variables (LVEF, WMSI and TDI Sm) were assessed at rest and during stress.
1 month after PCI follow up echocardiography and TDI were done. Patients were divided into 2
groups: (Group I): 18 patients (30%) with no global functional recovery and (Group II): 42 patients
(70%) with global functional recovery.
Results: SBP, DPB, HR, EF, WMSI and (Sm) increased significantly at stress P = 0.001. After
1 month patients were divided into 2 groups according to functional recovery. There were no
statistically significant differences between two groups neither as regards age, sex, risk factors
(P >0.05) nor as regards SBP, DBP, HR, rate/pressure product, EF and WMSI during stress
but Sm increased during stress and after1 month follow up in Group II (P = 0.001). Univariate
regression showed that (Sm) is the only predictor for global functional recovery. ROC curvestatistical analysis shows that (Sm) is more sensitive and accurate than (WMSI) in the detection of
viable myocardium which predicts improvement after revascularization (sensitivity 100%, 50% and
accuracy 93.3%, 83.3% respectively).
Conclusion: Stress TDI provides a feasible and quantitative technique that improves reproducibility
of DSE. Sm during stress showed better accuracy than WMSI for the prediction of functional
recovery following revascularization and was simple, sensitive and accurate for the detection of subtle
myocardial systolic velocity changes.