When Should I Order an Echo?
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When Should I Order An Echo? A Primer for General Practitioners The role of echocardiography as a diag- nostic, therapeutic and management- guiding tool is becoming increasingly relevant in cardiology and general prac- tice. This article discusses the appro- priate application of this form of testing. By Richard Bon, MD; and Kenneth Gin, MD, FRCPC comprehensive history and thorough replaced in the assessment and treatment of physical examination have tradition- patients, technology has provided physicians Aally been the cornerstones upon with additional tools to aid in the pursuit of which the diagnosis and management of car- optimal patient care. Since its inception, diovascular disease are based. While these echocardiography has become an invaluable fundamentals of medicine will never be addition to the diagnostic and therapeutic About the author... About the author... Dr. Gin is clinical assistant professor of medicine Dr. Bon completed his medical school and and director of the post-graduate cardiology internal medicine residency at the University of training program, University of British Columbia; British Columbia and is currently a cardiology and associate director, coronary care unit, and fellow at McGill University, Montreal, Quebec. associate director, cardiac ultrasound, Vancouver General Hospital. Perspectives in Cardiology / February 2002 27 Echo Case Michael, a 68-year-old man, presents for his initial visit to your office for a life insurance assessment. He has no known cardiac history, however, you elicit a history of infrequent “skipped beats” and one prolonged episode of self-terminating irregular palpitations while he was vacationing in Mexico one year ago. He denies any his- tory of chest pain or dyspnea at rest, however, he has noticed a decrease in exercise tolerance over the past six months, which he attributes merely to deconditioning. He has a history of “borderline” hypertension, which cur- rently is not being treated medically. He has no known history of diabetes or hypercholesterolemia, he quit smoking 30 years ago, and has no family history of coro- nary artery disease. He currently takes no medications. On examination, Michael’s blood pressure (BP) is 145/85 mmHg and the pulse is 72 beats per minute (BPM) and regular. Auscultation of the lungs is normal. Examination of the cardiovascular system reveals a jugular venous pulsation at 4 cm above the ster- nal angle, a normal carotid upstroke, a normal apical impulse, and normal first and second heart sounds. There are no third or fourth heart sounds. A holosystolic grade II/VI murmur is heard at the apex. The remainder of the physical examination is unremarkable. The patient’s electrocardiogram (ECG) shows normal sinus rhythm at a rate of 75 bpm with bor- derline voltage criteria for left ventricular hypertrophy and left atrial enlargement. Question: At this point, what would your clinical interventions be? Discussion on page 34 28 Perspectives in Cardiology / February 2002 Cardiac Angiogenesis Echo Figure 1 Algorithm for Assessment of Cardiac Murmur with Echocardiography Presence of cardiac murmur Systolic murmur Diastolic or continuous murmur Grade 1 to 2 mid-systolic Grade 3 Holo- or late systolic Echo Asymptomatic Other signs or symptoms No associated findings of cardiac disease No further work-up Adapted from: Cheitlin M, Alpert J, Armstrong W, et al: ACC/AHA Guidelines for the Clinical Application of Echocardiography. A Report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Practice Guidelines (Committee on Clinical Application of Echocardiography). Circulation 1997; 95(6):1686-744. armamentarium used by physicians treating Murmurs and Valvular Heart cardiovascular disease. Disease The ability of echocardiography to provide unique, non-invasive information with mini- Heart murmurs are the audible manifestation mal discomfort or risk, without using contrast of turbulent blood flow which may signify material or radiation, coupled with its porta- stenotic or regurgitant valvular disease or bility, availability and repeatability, accounts other congenital or acquired cardiovascular for its use in virtually all categories of cardio- defects. Echocardiography can help in the vascular disease.1 Despite these advantages, assessment of murmurs by providing infor- indiscriminate use of echocardiography could mation regarding valvular morphology, thick- lead to inappropriate further testing or inter- ness, calcification, vegetations and leaflet vention and could result in needless expendi- motion; quantification of stenotic or regurgi- ture of health-care dollars. tant lesions; and cardiac chamber size and Consequently, this article will review the function. While a murmur may be the major evidence for some of the most common sce- clinical feature of a cardiac abnormality, narios in which echocardiography may be many murmurs in asymptomatic people are useful to general practitioners, including the of no hemodynamic or functional signifi- assessment of: cance. •Murmurs and valvular heart disease; Murmurs can be categorized into systolic, • Chest pain; diastolic, and continuous murmurs (Figure 1). •Left ventricular (LV) function; Diastolic and continuous murmurs are always • Systemic hypertension; and pathologic and warrant echocardiographic • Atrial fibrillation. investigation. Systolic murmurs can be divid- ed into functional and pathologic murmurs. A Perspectives in Cardiology / February 2002 29 Echo murmur in an asymptomatic patient is classi- al murmurs usually can be distinguished from fied as functional if it has the following char- an organic murmur.4 However, the ability of acteristics: the cardiac examination to determine the • Systolic murmur of short duration; exact cause of the murmur, especially if more •Grade I or II intensity at the left sternal than one lesion is present, was limited and, border; therefore, echocardiography was recommend- • Systolic ejection pattern; ed for patients suspected of having significant 4 • Normal second heart sound (S2); cardiac disease. • No other abnormal sounds or murmurs; In keeping with these findings, the • No evidence of ventricular hypertrophy American College of Cardiology/American or dilation; Heart Association (ACC/AHA) Guidelines for • No thrills; the Clinical Application of Echocardiography do • Absence of an increase in intensity with not recommend echocardiography replace the Valsalva’s maneuver.1 basic cardiovascular evaluation as a screen In one study looking at the accuracy of the for VHD.1 However, in patients with car- cardiovascular physical examination for the diorespiratory symptoms or in asymptomatic diagnosis of asymptomatic valvular heart dis- patients with ambiguous clinical findings or ease (VHD) in 143 subjects, a complete phys- features indicative of at least a moderate ical examination with dynamic cardiac aus- probability that the murmur is reflective of cultation showed a sensitivity of 70% and a structural heart disease, echocardiography is specificity of 98%. It also showed a positive the test of choice (Figure 1).1 Among patients and negative predictive value of 92% for the with known VHD and changing symptoms or diagnosis of valvular heart disease, as com- signs, echocardiography is clearly the opti- pared to transesophageal echocardiography mal method of noninvasively and accurately (TEE).2 Furthermore, only two of the 10 re-evaluating the progression of valvular patients with VHD by TEE (but not by physi- lesions as well as any accompanying changes cal examination) had clinically important in chamber size or contractile function.1 VHD.2 Another retrospective study involving 169 patients with systolic murmurs aged 18 to Chest Pain 55, found older age, male gender, and mur- mur ≥ grade III were the only significant pre- Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the most dictors of positive echocardiographic results.3 common cause of cardiac chest pain. While In addition, if female patients aged ≤ 35 with echocardiography has long been used to diag- murmur grade II or less had not been referred nose other causes of chest pain (e.g., valvular for investigation, 47% of the echocardio- aortic stenosis, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, graphic studies could have been avoided aortic dissection, acute pulmonary embolism), while retaining a sensitivity of 90%.3 the use of standard echocardiography for Finally, a recent study involving 100 chest pain related to CAD has not been as patients with a systolic murmur of unknown widespread. Unlike angiography, echocardio- cause compared the diagnostic accuracy of graphy is unable to directly image coronary echocardiography with physical examination artery occlusions or stenoses, and relies on the by a cardiologist. It was shown that function- presence of regional ventricular wall motion 30 Perspectives in Cardiology / February 2002 Echo abnormalities to detect the presence of myocardial ischemia or infarction. Standard echocardiographic studies are insensitive for the detection of CAD. In fact, patients with high- grade coronary stenosis often have completely normal ventricular function. If performed dur- ing an episode of chest pain, however, the absence of regional wall motion abnormalities identifies a subset of patients unlikely to have a myocardial infarction (MI) with a negative predic- tive accuracy of 95%.5 This may be useful when acute myocardial ischemia is suspected, but the baseline electrocardiogram (ECG) is nondiag- nostic (i.e., chronic left-bundle-branch block, ventricular pacing). Yet another indication