Right ventricular systolic function and the manner of transformation of the right ventricle in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy.
BACKGROUND
Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is generally considered to be accompanied by both left and right ventricular dysfunction, but most studies only analyze the left ventricular function.


RESULTS
Biplane right ventriculography was performed in 13 control subjects and 13 patients with DCM and New York Heart Association functional class II. Three dimensions of the right ventricle (RV) (the long axis dimension (LA), the anterior - posterior dimension (AP), and the septum -free wall dimension (SF)) and 2 dimensions of the left ventricle (LV) (LA and AP) were examined to assess regional function. The group with DCM had a lower stroke volume index and RV ejection fraction. In the RV dimensional analysis, the group with DCM had a smaller SF and a larger AP at end-diastole, and larger AP and LA at end-systole. There was a significant linear negative correlation between SF of RV and AP of LV at end-diastole.


CONCLUSIONS
In clinically well-controlled cases of DCM, RV systolic function is depressed, and the RV is compressed by the LV, becoming less thick than in the controls. This transformation results from some parallel interaction between the RV and a markedly enlarged LV.
Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan.
Shigeto
S
Oyama
Masahito
M
Sakuma
Kohtaroh
K
Komaki
Hidehiko
H
Ishigaki
Makoto
M
Nakagawa
Hidenari
H
Hozawa
Yoshito
Y
Yamamoto
Yutaka
Y
Kagaya
Jun
J
Watanabe
Kunio
K
Shirato
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000790:Angiocardiography; D002311:Cardiomyopathy, Dilated / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013599:Systole; D018497:Ventricular Dysfunction, Right / Q000503:physiopathology*; D016278:Ventricular Function, Right