The additional prognostic value of coronary flow reserve on left anterior descending artery in patients with negative stress echo by wall motion criteria. A Transthoracic Vasodilator Stress Echocardiography Study.

Background: Vasodilator stress echocardiography allows imaging of left anterior descending (LAD) coronary flow reserve (CFR), which may provide additional prognostic information over regional wall motion.

Aim: To assess the prognostic value of CFR in patients with known or suspected coronary artery disease (CAD) and negative stress echo.

Methods: We studied 329 consecutive patients (193 men, age 61 +/- 13 years) with known (n = 101) or suspected (n = 228) CAD and negative stress echo by standard wall motion criteria.

Intraoperative microwave ablation in patients undergoing valvular surgery: midterm results.

Aim Of The Study: To assess the safety and efficacy of intraoperative microwave ablation to restore sinus rhythm and systolic atrial function in patients undergoing valvular surgery.

Methods: Forty-one patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) underwent operations. The mean age was 61 years (range, 45- 76 years).

Usefulness of coronary flow reserve over regional wall motion when added to dual-imaging dipyridamole echocardiography.

Vasodilator stress echocardiography allows semi-simultaneous imaging of left anterior descending (LAD) coronary flow and regional wall function. To assess the relative (and additive?) value of regional flow and function for noninvasive identification of angiographically assessed LAD disease in patients with chest pain syndrome, we studied 230 consecutive in-hospital patients (134 men, aged 63.5 +/- 11 years) with chest pain syndrome and normal regional and global left ventricular function.