Transthoracic Doppler echocardiography – noninvasive diagnostic window for coronary flow reserve assessment

Table 1 Comparison of methods to measure CFR

Methodolgy	Advantages	Limitation
PET	Non-invasive, global and regional CFR measurable	Expensive, scarce, radiation exposure
Intra-Coronary Doppler	CFR supplemented by measurement of fractional flow reserve provide stenosis-specific assessment	Invasive, expensive, radiation exposure
TDE	Noninvasive, cheap especially without contrast agents,	Only regional flow velocity, mainly in the LAD is measured (lower feasibility of flow imaging in Cx and RCA), Difficult measurement of volumetric (absolute) coronary flow

ISSN: 1476-7120