[Relationship between coronary flow reserve and recovery of regional left ventricular function in patients with tako-tsubo-like transient left ventricular dysfunction].
OBJECTIVE
This study assessed the relationship between coronary flow reserve and functional recovery of left ventricular wall motion in patients with tako-tsubo-like transient left ventricular dysfunction.


METHODS
Coronary flow reserve was measured using the Doppler guide wire technique in the left descending coronary artery in nine consecutive patients (three men, six women, mean age 71 +/- 11 years) with tako-tsubo-like transient left ventricular dysfunction. Regional wall motion was analyzed to estimate anterior wall motion score index (anterior WMSI) by transthoracic echocardiography on admission and 3 weeks after the onset of symptoms.


RESULTS
Anterior WMSI was 2.2 +/- 0.4 on admission and improved to 1.4 +/- 0.5 at 3 weeks later (p < 0.001). Coronary flow reserve on admission was not correlated to the anterior WMSI on admission (r = 0.19, p = 0.63). However, coronary flow reserve on admission was correlated to the improvement in anterior WMSI (r = 0.74, p = 0.02).


CONCLUSIONS
Coronary microcirculation is damaged in acute phase of tako-tsubo-like transient left ventricular dysfunction. The severity of coronary microvascular dysfunction influences the degree of left ventricular wall motion recovery.
Kume
Teruyoshi
T
Division of Cardiology, Kawasaki Medical School, Matsushima 577, Kurashiki, Okayama 701-0192.
Akasaka
Takashi
T
Kawamoto
Takahiro
T
Watanabe
Nozomi
N
Yoshitani
Hidetoshi
H
Akiyama
Maki
M
Koyama
Yuji
Y
Neishi
Yoji
Y
Tsukiji
Miwako
M
Yoshida
Kiyoshi
K
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity; D003326:Coronary Circulation; D004452:Echocardiography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008833:Microcirculation; D008875:Middle Aged; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D018608:Ultrasonography, Doppler; D018487:Ventricular Dysfunction, Left / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology*; D016277:Ventricular Function, Left