Pharmacologic Doppler stress testing in coronary artery disease

Abstract

It has been over a decade since the initial studies confirming that transcutaneous Doppler ultrasound could be used to accurately assess ascending aortic blood flow velocities [1–3]. As described in detail elsewhere in this book, a number of parameters derived from the aortic velocity profile accurately reflect global left ventricular systolic function (Figure 1). In fact, Doppler evaluation of aortic blood flow velocities provides one of the few non-invasive methods by which beat-to-beat changes in left ventricular function may be assessed.