Evaluation of coronary arteries by transthoracic echocardiography

Abstract

Though several new cardiac imaging techniques have emerged, invasive coronary angiography remains the gold standard in evaluating coronary arteries for measuring anatomic severity of the stenotic lesion and assisting in intracoronary interventions. Several workers have attempted to image the coronary arteries by echocardiography. With improvements in ultrasound machines and introduction of harmonic imaging and high frequency transducers, direct visualization of long segments of all three coronary arteries is now possible. Though the entire artery cannot be reconstructed, multiple segments can be visualized, flow velocity can be measured, thus enabling us to obtain useful anatomic and physiologic information. Careful evaluation of coronary flows can translate into a wide variety of clinical applications.

Keywords

• coronary arteries
• doppler flow
• transthoracic echocardiography