Background: The aim of this study was to determine the impact of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) on myocardial function assessed by tissue Doppler echocardiography.
Methods: Myocardial tissue peak velocities were recorded at the lateral, septal, posterior, and inferior angles of the mitral annulus as well as at the lateral tricuspid annulus by pulsed-wave tissue Doppler echocardiography before PCI, as well as 1 day and 6 weeks after intervention.
Results: Twenty-four consecutive patients with chronic stable angina and preserved systolic left ventricular function (20 men; mean age, 64 +/- 9 years) undergoing PCI were studied. Compared with preinterventional values, early diastolic velocities improved at all sites (P < .05 for each). The most pronounced improvement occurred in the septal area. Similarly, systolic peak velocity improved in the septal, lateral, inferior, and right ventricular areas (P < .04 for each).
Conclusions: Tissue Doppler parameters of diastolic and systolic function improve early after successful PCI, and this effect persists to 6 weeks after intervention.