Impairment of left ventricular function in systemic lupus erythematosus evaluated by measuring myocardial performance index with tissue Doppler echocardiography.
In 44 patients affected by systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) without any clinical signs of heart disease (group I) the myocardial performance index (MPI) was calculated to investigate left ventricular function. The index, as the sum of isovolumetric contraction time (ICT) and isovolumetric relaxation time (IRT) divided by ejection time (ET), was measured by tissue Doppler echocardiography (TDE). Results achieved show a prolonged MPI with respect to the values recorded in healthy controls (group II). Its prolongation is due to a significant increase of IRT, whereas ICT and ET were within the normal limits. In patients with SLE without an evident cardiac engagement, this outcome seems to depend on a prevalent diastolic left ventricular dysfunction, perhaps due to a subclinical myocarditis. TDE is more precise than the conventional Doppler method in evaluating MPI and single time intervals, because their measurements are accomplished in concomitance of left ventricular wall motion rather than the flow movement.
Cacciapuoti
Federico
F
Division of Internal Medicine and Metabolic Disease, Second University of Naples, Naples, Italy.
Galzerano
Domenico
D
Capogrosso
Paolo
P
Arciello
Alessandro
A
Liberti
Domenico
D
Cacciapuoti
Fulvio
F
Lama
Diana
D
D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D018619:Echocardiography, Doppler, Pulsed; D005260:Female; D006334:Heart Function Tests; D006439:Hemodynamics / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008180:Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009200:Myocardial Contraction / Q000502:physiology*; D011336:Probability; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012016:Reference Values; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013318:Stroke Volume / Q000502:physiology; D018487:Ventricular Dysfunction, Left / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*