Value of real-time contrast echocardiography in evaluation of global and regional left ventricular function in patients with coronary artery disease

Objective: To investigate the value of real-time contrast echocardiography in evaluation of global and regional left ventricular function in patients with coronary artery disease. Methods: Twenty-two patients receiving coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery were enrolled in this study. Before and after real-time contrast echocardiography, the left ventricular endocardial border, was delineated; the left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) was measured and the regional wall motion was assessed. LVEF results were compared with X-ray opacification reports. Results: After contrast enhancement, the endocardial border became more precise. The number of unclear endocardial border decreased while the number of clear border and the score index increased. The LVEF measured by echocardiography before contrast was significantly different from X-ray results (P<0.05), with a poor correlation (r=0.46, P<0.05). After contrast enhancement, the difference between these 2 methods became insiginificant (P>0.05), with a good correlation (r=0.87, P<0.05). Meanwhile, the sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of echocardiography in detecting regional wall motion abnormalities were higher with contrast than those without (73.4%, 70%, 71.9% and 55.2%, 45.6%, 50.9%, respectively). Conclusion: Real-time contrast echocardiography can more precisely delineate left ventricular endocardial border and enhance the myocardial opacification, improving the accuracy in detection of the global and regional left ventricular function.