Stress Echocardiography in the Assessment of Long-Term Outcomes After Percutaneous Coronary Intervention in Patients With Stable Coronary Heart Disease

AIM: To study the possibilities of stress echocardiography (EchoCG) in the assessment of clinical state of patients after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). MATERIAL AND METHODS: We included into this study 80 patients with stable ischemic heart disease. After preliminary examination, all patients underwent PCI. Stress EchoCG was carried out in 6 and 12 months after PCI. RESULTS: Clinical effect assessed in 12 months after revascularization was good in 90% of patients. We registered significant increase of exercise capacity (from 97 to 118 W; p=0.001), increase of double product (from 232 to 275; p=0.009), decrease of myocardial ischemia volume (regional contractility impairment index before PCI 1.36, a year after PCI 1.16; p=0.001). The incidence of restenosis was 7.5%. Restenosis was accompanied by a deterioration of clinical status of patients (silent myocardial ischemia, angina recurrence). The accuracy of stress echocardiography in detecting myocardial ischemia in patients after PCI was 94%. CONCLUSION: Stress EchoCG has high diagnostic accuracy for detection of myocardial ischemia in patients after PCI during the first 12 months after revascularization.