Q. Imaging Techniques to test stress?
A screening exam with M-mode and limited Doppler should be performed at the start of the test, but a detailed echo examination is usually not feasible from a logistic standpoint. Stress echo is almost universally performed using transthoracic imaging, usually with harmonic imaging and usually in the two parasternal and three apical views.
Digital imaging is very important for stress echo-mostly for side-by-side comparison of regional function at rest and stress, as well as the ability to review the progression of contraction on a frame-by-frame basis which facilitates assessment of the timing of contraction.