Use of myocardial tissue Doppler imaging for intraoperative monitoring of left ventricular function

Background. Detection of myocardial ischaemia during surgery is usually by assessment of regional wall motion using two‐dimensional transoesophageal echocardiography (TOE). Tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) may assist this assessment and improve its accuracy. Methods. We measured peak myocardial velocities in the anterior mid‐wall of the left ventricle by TOE and pulsed‐wave TDI in addition to transmitral flow velocity, two‐dimensional echocardiography and cardiovascular variables. We studied 42 patients before and after coronary bypass surgery with left internal mammary artery grafts. Results. Peak systolic and early and late diastolic velocity measurements of the anterior mid‐wall were obtained in all patients. Variation between and within observers was small (