title: Ventricular synchrony in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy and normal individuals: assessment by radionuclide ventriculography.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To establish the parameters of intra- and interventricular synchrony in normal individuals and to compare them with patients with dilated cardiomyopathy with and without conduction disorders shown in the electrocardiogram (ECG) examination.
  
  
  METHODS
  Three groups of patients were included in this study: 18 individuals (G1) with no cardiomyopathy and with a normal ECG (52+/-12 years, 29% male); 50 patients with dilated cardiomyopathy and severe left ventricular dysfunction, with 20 patients (G2) presenting QRS <120 ms (51+/-10 years, 75% male) and 30 patients (G3) with QRS >120 ms (57+/-12 years, 60% male). All patients underwent RV. Evaluation of left intraventricular dyssynchrony was carried out with the measurement of the phase histogram width and interventricular dyssynchrony was evaluated by the difference of the mean phase angle between the right and left ventricles (RLDif).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Left ventricle ejection fractions (LVEF)s were: 62 +/- 6% (G1), 27 +/- 7% (G2) and 22 +/- 8% (G3) and right ventricle ejection fractions were: 46 +/- 5% (G1), 41 +/- 6%(G2) and 38 +/- 8% (G3). Evaluation of the phase histogram width was: 89 +/- 18 ms (G1), 203 +/- 54 ms (G2) and 312 +/- 130 ms (G3), p<0.0001. The measurement of RLDif was: 14 +/- 11 ms (G1), 39 +/- 40 ms (G2) and 87 +/- 49 ms (G3); comparing G1 vs. G2 and G1 vs. G3, p<0.0001 and G2 vs. G3, p=0.0007.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The parameters analyzed discriminate the three groups of patients according to the ventricular synchrony degree. Patients with dilated cardiomyopathy and with no branch block in ECG (QRS <120 ms) may present dyssynchrony, but at a lower degree than patients with widened QRS.
authors.affiliation: Instituto do Coração, Hospital das Clínicas, FM, USP, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Simone Cristina S
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Brandão
authors.forename: Maria Clementina P
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Giorgi
authors.forename: Rodrigo T
authors.initials: RT
authors.lastname: de Miche
authors.forename: Silvana D Orio
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Nishioka
authors.forename: Rafael Willain
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Lopes
authors.forename: Marisa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Izaki
authors.forename: José
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Soares Junior
authors.forename: Martino
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Martinelli Filho
authors.forename: José Cláudio
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Meneghetti
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002311:Cardiomyopathy, Dilated / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D015635:Radionuclide Ventriculography; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D018487:Ventricular Dysfunction, Left / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology