The Utility of Systolic and Diastolic Echocardiographic Parameters for Predicting Coronary Artery Disease Burden as Defined by the SYNTAX Score

Background: Early identification of high-grade ischemia based on echocardiographic diastolic abnormalities may be clinically useful in the acute coronary syndrome (ACS) setting. This could provide the clinician with an awareness of the burden of coronary artery disease (CAD) before angiography is performed to allow for early intervention of suspected ischemic lesions. The objective of the study was to assess whether 2D transthoracic echocardiography (TTE)-derived tissue Doppler imaging parameters can predict the severity of CAD in comparison with the cardiac catheterization-derived SYNTAX score.

Methods: A retrospective study of 74 stable angina or patients with ACS was performed in 2012 at a single tertiary care center. In all study subjects, TTE and angiography were performed within 6 months of each other without revascularization in the interim.

Results: The study population included a total of 74 patients (mean age 67 ± 12 years) with 77% presenting with an ACS. The median SYNTAX score was 24.0 (6.0-35.0). The E-wave velocity was higher, and deceleration time (DT) was lower in the high SYNTAX group in comparison with the low/intermediate SYNTAX group (P = 0.045 and P = 0.001, respectively). Septal mitral annular S' was lower in the high SYNTAX group (P = 0.02). After multivariate analysis, E/A ratio (OR 0.03, 95% 0.00-0.36, P = 0.0067), DT (OR 0.93, 95% CI 0.89-0.97, P = 0.0001) and septal annular S'-wave velocity (OR 0.34, 95% CI 0.16-0.71, P = 0.0038) remained strong predictors of a high SYNTAX score.

Conclusion: Early identification of systolic and diastolic dysfunction based on echocardiographic parameters may be of important clinical significance for predicting CAD burden prior to invasive angiography.