The role of left ventricular long-axis contraction in patients with asymptomatic aortic regurgitation.
BACKGROUND
We aimed to investigate the role of long axis contraction in patients with asymptomatic chronic aorta regurgitation (AR).


METHODS
In 84 consecutive patients (48 men, mean age 55.5 +/- 13.5 years) tissue Doppler imaging was performed. During catheterization, left ventricular end-diastolic pressure (LVEDP) and end-diastolic wall stress (EDWS) were calculated.


RESULTS
The best predictor for group membership (exercise ejection fraction increase > or < of 5%) is the systolic wave maximal velocity (Sv) at the lateral mitral annulus (9 cm/s). Patients with Sv > 9 cm/s (45 patients) formed group I, while 39 patients with Sv < 9 cm/s formed group II. LVEDP and EDWS were higher in group II (15.5 +/- 1.9 mm Hg and 214.8 +/- 233.3 g/cm2) than in group I (10.3 +/- 1.7 mmHg and 111.8 +/- 40.8 g/cm2), P = .0001 and P = .01, respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
In patients with asymptomatic AR, the estimation of left ventricular long axis contraction at rest, can unmask a subnormal left ventricular functional status.
Paraskevaidis
Ioannis A
IA
Second Department of Cardiology, Onassis Cardiac Surgery Center, Attiko General Hospital, Medical University, Athens, Greece. iparas@otenet.gr
Tsiapras
Dimitrios
D
Kyrzopoulos
Stamatis
S
Cokkinos
Philip
P
Iliodromitis
Efstathios K
EK
Parissis
John
J
Kremastinos
Dimitrios T
DT
D001022:Aortic Valve Insufficiency / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D001794:Blood Pressure; D015150:Echocardiography, Doppler / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009200:Myocardial Contraction; D011379:Prognosis; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013318:Stroke Volume; D018487:Ventricular Dysfunction, Left / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000209:etiology