Regional myocardial velocities and isovolumic contraction acceleration before and after device closure of atrial septal defects: a color tissue Doppler study.
BACKGROUND
The study analyzed the effect of atrial septal defect (ASD) device closure on regional wall motion in the right (RV) and left ventricles (LV) using color tissue Doppler imaging (TDI). Atrial septal defect closure results in acute volume unloading of the RV. For unknown reasons, some patients develop acute left-sided heart failure postintervention.


METHODS
Color TDI was performed in 39 pediatric ASD and 75 age-matched controls. Regional wall motion in 5 LV and 1 RV segment were analyzed before, immediately after, and 24 hours after interventional ASD closure. Off-line postprocessing of echocardiographic data was used to determine myocardial velocities and acceleration during isovolumic contraction (IVA). Isovolumic contraction acceleration is the slope of the upstroke of the isovolumic contraction wave (IVA = peak velocity/acceleration time).


RESULTS
At baseline, patients with ASD had significantly higher RV systolic velocities than controls. Isovolumic contraction acceleration was similar in patients with ASD and controls. In the catheterization laboratory postintervention, conventional function parameters remained stable but systolic myocardial velocities decreased significantly in all segments. Diastolic velocities fell in LV segments but not in the RV. In contrast to velocities, IVA was stable during ASD device closure. On follow-up at 24 hours, myocardial velocities had normalized.


CONCLUSIONS
Device closure of ASD results to an acute transient decrease of regional myocardial velocities in the LV and RV, whereas the load-insensitive marker isovolumic acceleration remained stable. Therefore, the velocity changes may represent a response to altered left and right ventricular loading conditions. Color TDI is a sensitive tool to analyze ventricular mechanics.
Pauliks
Linda B
LB
Pediatric Cardiology, Tufts-New England Medical Center, Boston, MA 02111, USA. lpauliks@tufts-nemc.org
Chan
Kak-Chen
KC
Chang
Dennis
D
Kirby
Scott K
SK
Logan
Loralee
L
DeGroff
Curt G
CG
Boucek
Mark M
MM
Valdes-Cruz
Lilliam M
LM
D000054:Acceleration; D000293:Adolescent; D006328:Cardiac Catheterization; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003971:Diastole; D018618:Echocardiography, Doppler, Color; D005260:Female; D006344:Heart Septal Defects, Atrial / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D009038:Motion; D009200:Myocardial Contraction; D015588:Observer Variation; D019736:Prostheses and Implants; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013599:Systole; D016896:Treatment Outcome