loading page

Rest contrast echocardiography unmasks hidden wall motion abnormalities in patients with chest pain. A case series and review of pertinent literature.
  • Sergio Suma,
  • Domenico Tuttolomondo,
  • Nicola Gaibazzi
Sergio Suma
Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria di Parma

Corresponding Author:sergiosuma.md@gmail.com

Author Profile
Domenico Tuttolomondo
Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Parma
Author Profile
Nicola Gaibazzi
Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Parma
Author Profile

Abstract

We present a case series of three patients that underwent myocardial contrast echocardiography (MCE) in the setting of recent chest pain, as paradigmatic examples of the usefulness of contrast-echocardiography with very-low mechanical index imaging in the context of rest wall motion assessment. Moreover, we analysed the pertinent literature about the use of rest MCE in the context of chest pain of unknown origin, showing its diagnostic and prognostic impact. We think that MCE could play a key role in detecting chest pain subtended by previously unknown CAD. For example, in pts without significant ECG modifications or in whom high sensitivity troponins show only borderline increase (still below the upper limit) or have no clearly significant delta. In such cases the more sensitive evaluation of WM powered by MCE could add diagnostic information, above all in pts with severe CAD but apparently normal WM at standard echocardiography.
04 Mar 2022Published in Reviews in Cardiovascular Medicine volume 23 issue 3 on pages 086. 10.31083/j.rcm2303086