Alterations in aortic elasticity in noncompaction cardiomyopathy.
BACKGROUND
Noncompaction cardiomyopathy (NCCM) is a recently recognized disorder frequently associated with systolic and diastolic heart failures. This study was designed to examine aortic stiffness in NCCM patients and to compare these results to age- and gender-matched controls.


METHODS
A total of 20 patients with typical echocardiographic features of NCCM (age 38 +/- 16 years, eight males) were investigated. Their results were compared to 20 age- and gender-matched controls. All subjects underwent a complete two-dimensional transthoracic echocardiographic examination. Systolic (SD) and diastolic (DD) ascending aortic diameters were recorded in M-mode at a level of 3 cm above the aortic valve from a parasternal long-axis view. Aortic stiffness index (beta) was calculated as a characteristic of aortic elasticity, as ln(SBP/DBP)/[(SD - DD)/DD], where SBP and DBP are the systolic and diastolic blood pressures, respectively, and ln is the natural logarithm.


RESULTS
The number of noncompacted segments in the NCCM patients was 4.6 +/- 2.0. NCCM patients had significantly increased left ventricular dimensions and reduced left ventricular ejection fraction. Compared to controls, aortic stiffness index (beta) was significantly increased in NCCM patients (8.3 +/- 5.2 vs. 3.5 +/- 1.1, p < 0.001).


CONCLUSIONS
Increased aortic stiffness can be observed in patients with NCCM with moderate to severe heart failure. These alterations may be due to neurohormonal changes in heart failure.
Nemes
Attila
A
Department of Cardiology, Thoraxcenter, Erasmus Medical Center Rotterdam, Dr. Molewaterplein 40, 3015 GD, Room Ba304, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Caliskan
Kadir
K
Geleijnse
Marcel L
ML
Soliman
Osama I I
OI
Anwar
Ashraf M
AM
ten Cate
Folkert J
FJ
D000328:Adult; D001011:Aorta / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001794:Blood Pressure; D009202:Cardiomyopathies / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003971:Diastole; D004548:Elasticity; D005260:Female; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012107:Research Design; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013318:Stroke Volume; D013599:Systole; D014463:Ultrasonography; D016277:Ventricular Function, Left