Usefulness of Dobutamine Stress Echocardiography for Detecting Ischemic Heart Disease

To assess the value of dobutamine stress echocardiography for detecting coronary artery disease (CAD), 30 patients (mean age 50.9±1.7 years) were studied. Maximal dobutamine used was 30 mg/kg/min. The 2D-echocardiograms were digitally stored and displayed in a format that allowed simultaneous analysis of rest and stress images. Development of a new abnormality in regional wall motion was used as a criterion for positivity for the dobutamine infusion. Significant coronary artery disease (50 % diameter stenosis) assessed by coronary angiography was present in 21 of 30 cases. Compared with coronary angiography, the overall sensitivity of dobutamine echocardiography for detecting CAD was 95 %, the specificity 100% and the accuracy 96.6 %. No complications were observed. We conclude DSE is a safe and accurate method for detecting coronary artery disease.