AboutDavid Richardson Expertise Adult heart function and disease. Not very good about children lesss than 12. Hypertension is o.k. Heart rhythm a special interest.
Experience Certified in cardiology by the American Board of Internal Medicine. Was chairman of division of cardiology at the Medical College of Virginia. Am now mostly retired.
Organizations Fellow of American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology and member of American Physiological Society..
Publications Circulation, American Heart Journal, Hypertension.
Education/Credentials M.D. from Harvard Medical School. Residency training at Yale Uhniversity School of Medicine and Medical College of Virginia.
Awards and Honors Gold Heartt Award from American Heart Association in 1995.
Question I am a 53 yr old woman who in the last few yrs was put on hbp, chols, thyroid meds. I had a echo stress test done with persantine and cardiolite on May 05, 2009. Finding came back showing no focal wall motion abnormality. Ejection is 60%. The remainder of the left ventricular myocardium appears normal. The perfusion images demonstrate relative decreased activies in the anterior wall. This appears more normal on the resting study. Findings suggest reversibility and stress induced ischemia cannot be excluded.
Can you tell me what this means and how will this affect my heart. I'm I threating a stroke or heart attack? I am now waiting for the referal to see an cardio docter, but is is taken so long should I take matters in my own hand and find my own specialist. I do not know if time is on my side. concern and worried...... Once I see a cardio specialist what should I expect to possiblely happen after reviewing my findings.
Answer Dear Louise,
It means the front wall of your heart doesn't contract as well as the rest of the heart when Persantine makes the heart beat harder than normal, and suggests that the anterior coronary artery has a narrow place that prevents the increase in blood flow to the front of your heart that should occur with Persantine. And it means that you're at some risk of heart attack if the narrow place becomes totally blocked. You are threatened by heart attack but not stroke. If you have chest pain with exercise or anger or anxiety, you should find your own specialist promptly. If no chest pain or pressure when stressed, then management with medicines is as effective in preventing heart attack or cardiac death as is intervention by blowing up a balloon (at the tip of a flexible catheter introduced into an artery where your leg joins your body and floated in the blood stream up to the heart) to stretch open the narrow place. The medicines include a baby aspirin, a statin, a beta blocker, and an ACE inhibitor like lisinopril or one of its cousins.
Please write back if this note doesn't answer all your questions.
