Prediction of subclinical left ventricular dysfunction with strain rate imaging in patients with mild to moderate rheumatic mitral stenosis.
BACKGROUND
Left ventricular (LV) long-axis function evaluated by Doppler tissue echocardiography-derived strain rate (SR) imaging has been shown to be a useful index of LV systolic function; however, it has not been evaluated in patients with mitral stenosis (MS). We examined the LV long-axis function of patients with pure MS and normal global systolic function as assessed by LV ejection fraction.


METHODS
In all, 30 patients (22 women; 45 +/- 9 years) with mild to moderate MS (mitral valve area = 1.5 +/- 0.3 cm2) and 28 healthy volunteers (20 women; 44 +/- 10 years) were evaluated by both conventional and Doppler tissue echocardiography. Two-dimensional Doppler tissue echocardiography was performed in the apical 4-chamber view in the septal and lateral wall on the mitral annular level. Peak systolic myocardial SR and end-systolic strain data were measured for both segments.


RESULTS
Peak systolic SR (1.2 +/- 0.4% vs 1.8 +/- 0.39%, P < .001) and end-systolic strain (10 +/- 5 vs 25 +/- 6 s(-1), P < .001) were both significantly lower in patients with MS than in control subjects.


CONCLUSIONS
Patients with MS had significantly impaired long-axis function evaluated by Doppler tissue echocardiography-derived SR imaging despite normal global systolic function.
Dogan
Sait
S
Department of Cardiology, School of Medicine, Zonguldak Karaelmas University, Zonguldak, Turkey. smdogan@yahoo.com
Aydin
Mustafa
M
Gursurer
Metin
M
Dursun
Aydin
A
Onuk
Tolga
T
Madak
Hediye
H
D000328:Adult; D015150:Echocardiography, Doppler / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008946:Mitral Valve Stenosis / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D011379:Prognosis; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012214:Rheumatic Heart Disease / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013314:Stress, Mechanical; D013318:Stroke Volume; D018487:Ventricular Dysfunction, Left / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000209:etiology