Clinical experience in the detection of coronary artery disease with myocardial contrast echocardiography

Myocardial contrast enhancement following intravenous infusions or injections of perfluorocarbon-containing microbubbles has now been observed consistently in humans. Currently, the major challenge facing us is interpreting accurately what we see. The myocardial contrast patterns we observe have, thus far, been shown to detect myocardial perfusion abnormalities during dipyridamole, adenosine, and dobutamine stress echocardiography. They also have been shown to detect zones of no refiow following coronary revascularization in patients with acute myocardial infarction. These preliminary data will require validation in larger multicenter clinical studies.