Pulsed Doppler tissue imaging in the early diagnosis of coronary artery disease

Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death in the majority of well-developed countries. Early diagnosis of coronary artery disease is difficult due to blood vessels remodeling, late manifestations of reduced maximal and normal coronary blood flow, and negative correlation between stenosis and plaque burden. Pulsed Doppler tissue imaging is used for assessment of myocardial velocity, whereas classical Doppler imaging is used for measurement of blood flow velocity. Systolic myocardial velocity profile During the systolic phase only a single myocardial motion is registered--S wave. There are early and late myocardial relaxation velocities. Impact of coronary artery disease on myocardial velocities Early to late myocardial relaxation velocity ratio is influenced by coronary artery disease. This paper provides practical guidelines for using pulsed doppler tissue imaging. Pulsed Doppler tissue imaging is an excellent procedure for early diagnosis of coronary artery disease.