title: Measurement of left atrial systolic time intervals in hypertensive patients using Doppler echocardiography: relation to fourth heart sound and left ventricular wall thickness.
abstract: The concept of left atrial systolic time intervals and Doppler echocardiography were used in a quantitative assessment of left atrial function in relation to the presence or absence of a fourth heart sound and to left ventricular hypertrophy in 47 patients with hypertension. Left atrial systolic time interval indexes included atrial pre-ejection period (the time between the onset of an electrocardiographic P wave and the onset of left ventricular inflow during atrial systole [A wave]), corrected atrial pre-ejection period (the atrial pre-ejection period divided by the duration of the P wave), and atrial ejection time (the time between the onset and cessation of the A wave). Twenty-one patients with a fourth heart sound on the phonocardiogram had a shorter atrial pre-ejection period (81 +/- 10 versus 89 +/- 14 ms p less than 0.05) and a corrected atrial pre-ejection period (66 +/- 17 versus 83 +/- 18 ms, p less than 0.01), as well as a longer atrial ejection time (147 +/- 15 versus 126 +/- 13 ms, p less than 0.001) than did 26 patients without a fourth heart sound. The ratio of atrial pre-ejection period to atrial ejection time and that of corrected atrial pre-ejection period to atrial ejection time was smaller in patients with than in patients without a fourth heart sound (0.56 +/- 0.08 versus 0.71 +/- 0.11, p less than 0.001; 0.46 +/- 0.16 ms-1 versus 0.67 +/- 0.17 ms-1, p less than 0.001, respectively).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
authors.affiliation: Division of Hypertension, National Cardiovascular Center, Osaka, Japan.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Abe
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yokouchi
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Deguchi
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Saitoh
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yoshimi
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Arakaki
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Natsume
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kawano
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yoshida
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kuramochi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity; D004452:Echocardiography; D005260:Female; D006326:Heart Auscultation; D006347:Heart Sounds; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008943:Mitral Valve / Q000503:physiopathology; D009200:Myocardial Contraction; D009206:Myocardium / Q000473:pathology*; D013599:Systole