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The role of stress echocardiography in the evaluation of coronary artery disease and myocardial ischemia in women

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  • Published:
Journal of Nuclear Cardiology Aims and scope

Abstract

Considering the unfavorable prognosis of women with ischemic heart disease, an aggressive but safe approach to evaluate women presenting with chest pain is warranted so that coronary artery disease (CAD) can be identified and treated early. Stress echocardiography (SE) has matured into an invaluable technique for the noninvasive detection of obstructive epicardial CAD. Its versatility, accuracy, safety, noninvasiveness, and lack of radiation exposure make SE an attractive technique to apply to the assessment of women with known or suspected heart disease. This article focuses on the current evidence supporting the role of SE in the assessment of CAD and myocardial ischemia in women.

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Abbreviations

CAD:

Coronary artery disease

CCTA:

Coronary computed tomography angiography

CMR:

Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging

DSE:

Dobutamine stress echocardiography

EST:

Exercise ECG stress testing

HR:

Heart rate

IHD:

Ischemic heart disease

LBBB:

Left bundle brunch block

LVEF:

Left ventricular ejection fraction

METs:

Metabolic equivalents

NPV:

Negative predictive value

PPV:

Positive predictive value

SE:

Stress echocardiography

SPECT-MPI:

Single-proton emission computed tomography myocardial perfusion imaging

TME:

Treadmill exercise

WMA:

Wall motion abnormalities

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  1. Division of Cardiovascular Ultrasound, Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Mayo Clinic, 200 First St SW, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA

    Ratnasari Padang MBBS, PhD & Patricia A. Pellikka MD

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Correspondence to Patricia A. Pellikka MD.

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Padang, R., Pellikka, P.A. The role of stress echocardiography in the evaluation of coronary artery disease and myocardial ischemia in women. J. Nucl. Cardiol. 23, 1023–1035 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12350-016-0592-2

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