title: Advanced quantitative echocardiography in arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Arrhythmogenic right ventricular (RV) cardiomyopathy (ARVC) is a regional disease of the RV myocardium with variable degrees of left ventricular involvement. Three-dimensional echocardiography and Doppler tissue imaging (DTI) are new echocardiographic modalities for the evaluation of global and regional function, but the diagnostic potential remains to be assessed.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty patients with previously established ARVC were evaluated by 3-dimensional echocardiography and DTI, and compared with 32 age- and sex-matched control subjects.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Using 3-dimensional echocardiography, patients with ARVC had a decreased RV ejection fraction (0.47 +/- 0.08 vs 0.53 +/- 0.05, P < .01), and a decreased peak lateral systolic annular velocity by pulsed wave imaging of both the RV (11.9 +/- 2.6 vs 15.1 +/- 3.7 cm/s, P < .01) and the left ventricle (7.0 +/- 2.6 vs 9.5 +/- 1.9 cm/s, P < .01). DTI showed decreased regional systolic strain, but with wide variation in the measurements.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Three-dimensional echocardiography identifies decreased RV ejection fraction in ARVC. Assessment of regional contractility by DTI is limited by wide variation. Echocardiographic evaluation of the longitudinal motility appears to be a sensitive marker of preclinical left ventricular involvement.
authors.affiliation: Copenhagen University Hospital Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark. jesper.kjaergaard@rh.dk
authors.forename: Jesper
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kjaergaard
authors.forename: Jesper
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hastrup Svendsen
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sogaard
authors.forename: Xu
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Henning
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Bay Nielsen
authors.forename: Lars
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Køber
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kjaer
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hassager
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D019571:Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Dysplasia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D009320:Atrial Natriuretic Factor / Q000097:blood*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D001707:Biopsy, Needle; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D004452:Echocardiography / Q000379:methods; D019560:Echocardiography, Three-Dimensional / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006334:Heart Function Tests; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020097:Natriuretic Peptide, Brain / Q000097:blood*; D011336:Probability; D012016:Reference Values; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D018497:Ventricular Dysfunction, Right / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D020097:Natriuretic Peptide, Brain; D009320:Atrial Natriuretic Factor