Comparison of two strategies in a chest pain unit: stress echocardiography and multidetector computed tomography

[Stress-Echocardiography in Low-risk Acute Coronary Syndrome Without Persistent ST-segment Elevation Diagnostic Algorithm]

This review addresses the capabilities of stress EchoCG as a simple, non-invasive, non-radiation method for diagnosing occult disorders of coronary blood flow in patients with non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndrome on a low-risk electrocardiogram. The capabilities of the enhanced stress EchoCG protocol are based on supplementing the standard detection of transient disturbances of local contractility, generally associated with coronary artery obstruction, with an assessment of the heart rate reserve, coronary reserve and other parameters. This approach is considered promising for a more complete characterization of heart function during exercise and an accurate prognosis of the clinical case, which allows determining the tactics for patient management not limited to selection for myocardial revascularization.