Dobutamine stress echocardiography in a patient with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome

Abstract

We describe the case of a patient with ventricular pre-excitation who underwent dobutamine stress echocardiography to evaluate atypical chest pain. The patient safely underwent the procedure with interesting electrocardiographic findings during pharmacological stress. The risks of dobutamine stress testing, along with possible explanations of this observed event, are discussed. In conclusion, the safety of dobutamine stress testing in patients with ventricular pre-excitation has not been established; further prospective studies are needed to decide whether dobutamine stress testing is safe in certain subsets of this population. (Cardiol J 2011; 18, 4: 437–440)