Prognostic Value of Advanced Echocardiography in Patients with Ischemic
Heart Disease: A Comprehensive Review.
Abstract
Cardiovascular diseases caused 20.5 million deaths in 2021, accounting
for nearly one-third of global mortality 1. This underscores the
importance of identifying practical prognostic markers for effective
patient stratification and treatment, particularly in ischemic heart
disease (IHD). Transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) is a fundamental and
accessible, non-invasive imaging tool widely used in clinical cardiology
for diagnosis and management concerning patients with a broad spectrum
of cardiovascular diseases. It is the first level non-invasive imaging
method and the most widely used in clinical practice for the diagnosis
and follow-up of patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Alongside
established echocardiographic prognostic parameters, new measurements
have shown their predictive relevance for adverse events in IHD
patients, including three-dimensional (3D) imaging, tissue Doppler (TDI)
and speckle tracking technology. The aim of this review is to identify
the current diagnostics echocardiographic tools in the literature that
may provide new prognostic parameters applicable in the acute phase and
at follow-up in patients following an acute myocardial infarction. We
focused on the latest imaging methods such as TDI, Myocardial Work
Index, Speckle-Tracking Strain and 3D technologies evaluated using TTE,
given its ease of use, and widespread accessibility at all stages of
coronary artery disease.