title: M-mode analysis of mitral annulus motion for detection of pseudonormalization of the mitral inflow pattern.
abstract: Left ventricular (LV) diastolic dysfunction is a frequent cause of heart failure. Doppler echocardiography has become the method of choice for the noninvasive evaluation of LV diastolic dysfunction. However, pseudonormalization of mitral inflow often presents a diagnostic problem in clinical practice. We sought to define the role of mitral annulus motion in this setting. We performed echocardiography in 36 consecutive subjects (age 59 +/- 10 years). Eighteen had recently (within 3 months) been diagnosed with coronary artery disease, 18 had clinical suspicion of coronary artery disease, and 15 had symptoms of heart failure (New York Heart Association class 2.4 +/- 0.5). The amplitude (E(M)) and the slope (slope E) of early diastolic motion of the septal mitral annulus were derived from M-mode analysis. Left heart catheterization was performed for direct measurement of LV end-diastolic pressure. Pseudonormalization defined by an E/A ratio > 1 and a LV end-diastolic pressure > or = 16 mm Hg was found in 9 patients. All patients with pseudonormalization were symptomatic (New York Heart Association class 2.8 +/- 0.5). Patients with and without pseudonormalization did not differ with respect to the E/A ratio (1.29 +/- 0.44 vs 1.16 +/- 0.23, p = NS), deceleration time (182 +/- 38 vs 205 +/- 42 ms, p = NS), and isovolumic relaxation time (88 +/- 24 vs 92 +/- 18 ms, p = NS). In the group with pseudonormalization, a significant reduction of E(M) (3.9 +/- 1.6 vs 5.7 +/- 1.5 mm, p = 0.008) and slope E (24.5 +/- 11.8 vs 43.9 +/- 7.7 mm/s, p <0.001) was detected. Using E(M) <4.3 mm and slope E <35 mm/s as cut points, sensitivity and specificity for the detection of pseudonormalization were 66% and 82% for E(M) and 77% and 87% for slope E, respectively. There was no significant relation between LV end-diastolic pressure as a measure of preload and either E(M) (r = 0.44, p >0.5) or slope E (r = 0.30, p >0.2). Thus, E(M) and slope E may be preload-independent tools for assessing LV diastolic dysfunction in symptomatic patients with a pseudonormal mitral inflow pattern and elevated filling pressures.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, University Essen, Germany. christian.bruch@uni-essen.de
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bruch
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Schmermund
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Marin
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kuntz
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Bartel
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Schaar
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Erbel
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity / Q000502:physiology; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology; D004452:Echocardiography; D015150:Echocardiography, Doppler; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005080:Exercise Test; D005260:Female; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006439:Hemodynamics / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008943:Mitral Valve / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology; D009200:Myocardial Contraction / Q000502:physiology; D015588:Observer Variation; D012016:Reference Values; D018487:Ventricular Dysfunction, Left / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology