CLINICAL UTILITY OF DIGITAL DOBUTAMINE STRESS ECHOCARDIOGRAPHY IN THENONINVASIVE EVALUATION OF CORONARY-ARTERY DISEASE

Exercise electrocardiography is an established mode of evaluation for patients with suspected coronary artery disease. It also provides prog nostic information and guides therapeutic management in patients with established disease. However, some patients are unable to exercise bec ause of orthopedic problems, neurologic diseases, peripheral vascular disease, or deconditioning. In the past, these patients have been refe rred for angiography to help assess their disease. Recently, however, new techniques to assess myocardial perfusion and/or function, includi ng stress echocardiography, have been used in the noninvasive assessme nt of coronary artery disease in this group of patients. Echocardiogra phy has been used in combination with different drugs, including dobut amine, dipyridamole, and adenosine. Dobutamine is probably the single most studied drug for stress echocardiography. Dobutamine stress echoc ardiography is a safe, feasible, and valuable technique for evaluating coronary artery disease.