[Transthoracic Doppler echocardiography for the non-invasive assessment of coronary flow reserve--a case report].

We describe a case of a 55-year-old male with anterior myocardial infarction, treated in the acute phase with thrombolysis. Transthoracic echocardiography showed hypokinetic apical segments, ejection fraction of 55% and reduced coronary flow reserve in the left anterior descending (LAD) coronary artery. Elective coronary angiography revealed a borderline (40-50%) lesion in LAD. The patient underwent successful angioplasty of LAD with stent implantation. Non-invasive coronary flow reserve measurements were repeated 3 days, 6 weeks and 6 months after angioplasty showing continuous improvement in this parameter. The role of non-invasive echocardiographic assessment of coronary flow reserve in the selection for angioplasty and monitoring of the effects of treatment is discussed.