I am 64, 165# and generally in good health. I am on statins (Advicor 1000/20 plus 1000 mg of time-released niacin - Niaspan)as well as low-dose aspirin. My last lipid panel (Aug 2006) showed LDL 56 and HDL 83; VAP results were HDL-2 30, HDL-3 53, VLDL-3 7, Sum Total LDL-C 56 and Real-LDL size pattern was in the A/B range, closer to pattern A. I recently had to change doctors and because I have had a couple of heart scans (the first in 2001 and the last in 2005)that show calcification in the LAD (Agatston score 105.06) and RCA (Agatston score 179.21), my new doctor recommended a dobutamine stress echo test. I've never had a stress test and what I read about the dobutamine stress test is that it is used when the patient cannot do the exercise stress test. I am fit and exercise strenuously and regularly (4-5 times a week) without adverse affects.
Is there some advantage to the dobutamine test that I am not seeing in the literature available?
Am I better off to take the exercise stress echo test?
I have also read that the 3D echo is much preferable to the 2D -please comment.