An algorithm for coronary artery shortening applied to the assessment of regional wall motion during coronary angioplasty

Balloon occlusion during percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty renders a region of myocardium distal to the balloon ischemic, and this results in regional contractile dysfunction. The measurement of the induced wall motion abnormalities is difficult in the clinical setting. The authors have developed a knowledge-based microcomputer system for the automatic recognition of coronary arterial branching points and used these as epicardial markers to assess regional wall motion during balloon occlusion periods. The methodology is easy to apply, repeatable, and correlates with changes in regional blood flow and metabolism. This robust algorithm allows frame-to-frame analysis of regional contraction during periods of acute reversible ischemia and thus sheds light on the time course of ischemia during wall motion