Background: Real time three dimensional (RT3D) echocardiography is an accurate and reproducible method for assessing left ventricular shape and function.
Aim: assess the feasibility and reproducibility of RT3D stress echocardiography (SE) (exercise and pharmacological) in the evaluation of left ventricular function compared to 2D.
Methods and results: One hundred eleven patients with known or suspected coronary artery disease underwent 2D and RT3DSE. The agreement in WMSI, EDV, ESV measurements was made off-line.The feasibility of RT-3DSE was 67%. The inter-observer variability for WMSI by RT3D echo was higher during exercise and with suboptimal quality images (good: k = 0.88; bad: k = 0.69); and with high heart rate both for pharmacological (HR < 100 bpm, k = 0.83; HR > or = 100 bpm, k = 0.49) and exercise SE (HR < 120 bpm, k = 0.88; HR > or = 120 bpm, k = 0.78). The RT3D reproducibility was high for ESV volumes (0.3 +/- 14 ml; CI 95%: -27 to 27 ml; p = n.s.).
Conclusions: RT3DSE is more vulnerable than 2D due to tachycardia, signal quality, patient decubitus and suboptimal resting image quality, making exercise RT3DSE less attractive than pharmacological stress.