Comparison of high-frequency two-dimensional transthoracic echocardiography versus intravascular ultrasound for evaluation of the left anterior descending coronary artery.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of high-frequency transthoracic echocardiography for measuring the wall thickness and luminal area of the left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD). Fifteen patients underwent simultaneous high-frequency transthoracic echocardiography and intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) examinations. There were good agreements for wall thickness (0.38 +/- 0.05 vs 0.38 +/- 0.06 mm, p = 0.0004) and luminal area (3.24 +/- 1.05 vs 3.32 +/- 1.34 mm2, p <0.0001) between high-frequency transthoracic echocardiography and IVUS measurements. High-frequency transthoracic echocardiography was reliable in the measurement of the wall thickness and luminal area of the LAD.