Echocardiography in coronary artery disease.

Echocardiography has come a long way since its beginnings in the early days of M-mode. Today echocardiography is a useful tool in the management and diagnosis of coronary artery disease. It is used in the emergency room to aid in the exclusion or confirmation of acute coronary syndromes and in their management. The spreading use of stress echocardiography has greatly expanded the use of ultrasound in the diagnosis and management of coronary artery disease. Both pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic methods of stress testing have added to the sensitivity and specificity of this technique, making it a viable alternative to thallium imaging for the diagnostic screening of coronary artery disease.