Strain rate clinical use associated with stress echocardiography in asymptomatic patient with cardiovascular risk factors: case report

Abstract

The transthoracic Doppler echocardiography is an image exam of broad clinical applicability that, despite the requirement of great experience of the operator and the possibility of poor acoustic windows, allows the collection of a lot of information non-invasively, without ionization risks to the patient, with low cost. When performed under physical or pharmacological stress, it is an option with appropriate diagnostic accuracy for myocardial ischemia screening. Among the available resources, strain rate has proven to be useful for detecting incipient changes in segmental systolic function, including patients with systemic arterial hypertension and coronary artery disease. This work demonstrates the case of an asymptomatic female patient that, after submission to Doppler echocardiography under pharmacological stress, showed left ventricular hypertrophy and strain rate changes, even without segmental changes of myocardial motility.