The role of stress echocardiography in cardiovascular disorders

Gergely Ágoston; Blanka Morvai-Illés; Attila Pálinkás; Albert Varga

doi:10.33963/kp.15032

October 24, 2019Kardiologia PolskaOpen Access

The role of stress echocardiography in cardiovascular disorders

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Why the study?

While stress echocardiography is established in pathologies like aortic stenosis and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, indications such as diastolic stress testing and pulmonary hypertension require additional data and research.

Structured PICO

P

Population

Patients with cardiovascular disorders including coronary heart disease, mitral regurgitation, aortic stenosis, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, and pulmonary hypertension

I

Intervention

Stress echocardiography

Stress echocardiography is a versatile, radiation-free imaging modality with established and emerging roles in evaluating a wide spectrum of cardiovascular diseases.

Implication

Supports broader stress echocardiography use in nonischemic disease; leaves open need for randomized outcome trials.

Abstract

Stress echocardiography is a safe, low‑cost, widely available, radiation‑free versatile imaging modality that is becoming increasingly recognized as a valuable tool in the assessment of coronary heart disease. In recent years, there has also been an increasing use of stress echocardiography in the assessment of nonischemic cardiac disease given its unique ability for simultaneous assessment of both functional performance and exercise‑related noninvasive hemodynamic changes, which can help guide treatment and inform about the prognosis of the patients. Today, in the echocardiography laboratory, we can not only detect wall motion abnormalities resulting from coronary artery stenosis, but also detect alterations to the coronary microvessels, left ventricular systolic and diastolic parameters, heart valves, pulmonary circulation, alveolar‑capillary barrier, and right ventricle. The role of stress echo has been well established in several pathologies, such as aortic stenosis and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy; however, other indications, namely the results of diastolic stress testing and pulmonary hypertension, need additional data and research. This paper presents the current evidence for the role of stress testing in mitral regurgitation, aortic stenosis, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, and pulmonary hypertension.