Temporal analysis of regional strain rate during adenosine triphosphate stress before and after percutaneous coronary interventions

Regional myocardial ischemia is thought to be characterized by diastolic dysfunction. We aimed to clarify whether temporal analysis of strain rate (SR) index derived from two-dimensional speckle-tracking echocardiography (2DTE) can assess the regional myocardial ischemia or not. Forty-two patients with significant coronary stenoses were referred for percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). 2DTE was performed before and a day after PCI. Time from aortic valve closure to peak early diastolic longitudinal SR ∆(TAVC- E SR ) was measured both at baseline and during adenosine triphosphate (ATP) infusion. TAVC- E SR was calculated as TAVC- E SR during ATP infusion subtracted by TAVC- E SR at baseline. In forty-five target ischemic regions, TAVC- E SR at baseline was significantly longer than that of control regions (166 ± 28 vs. 136 ± 32 ms, P