The detection of residual ischemia and stenosis in patients with acute myocardial infarction with dobutamine stress echocardiography.

The aim of this study was to validate the usefulness of dobutamine stress echocardiography to detect residual ischemia and significant stenosis at the infarct zone in patients with acute myocardial infarction. Dobutamine stress echocardiography and stress thallium-201 single-photon emission computed tomography were performed on 40 consecutive patients 1 month after the onset of acute myocardial infarction. Dobutamine was infused incrementally, and wall motion score index at the infarct zone was calculated before and at peak dobutamine infusion. The patients were divided into three groups according to the change in wall motion at the infarct zone (improved, unchanged, or worsened wall motion, respectively). Tomographic thallium images of the infarct zone were assessed visually. All patients underwent quantitative coronary angiography, and significant stenosis was defined as 50% or greater stenosis. In patients who showed a persistent defect and significant stenosis of the infarct-related artery, resting thallium-201 single-photon emission computed tomography was performed when possible. There was a significantly higher incidence of residual ischemia at the infarct zone in patients with worsened wall motion (85%) and unchanged wall motion (63%) than in those with improved wall motion (8%). The residual stenosis of the infarct-related artery was more severe in patients with worsened or unchanged wall motion than in those with improved wall motion (worsened 82.6% +/- 17.7%, unchanged 93.7% +/- 12.6%, and improved 37.1% +/- 24.4%). The use of worsened or unchanged wall motion at the infarct zone for detecting significant residual stenosis of the infarct-related artery resulted in a sensitivity of 93% and a specificity of 91%, respectively. Worsened wall motion at the infarct zone by dobutamine stress echocardiography strongly suggests residual ischemia. Conversely, less ischemia and less significant stenosis are associated with improved wall motion. Unchanged wall motion suggests severe residual stenosis and sometimes indicates ischemia. It may reflect a hibernating myocardium, but the prognostic significance of this finding should be determined by revascularization.