Aortic upper wall tissue Doppler image velocity: relation to aortic elasticity and left ventricular diastolic function.
BACKGROUND
Aortic stiffening contributes to the left ventricular (LV) afterload, hypertrophy, and substrate for diastolic dysfunction. It is also known that aortic elastic properties could be investigated with color tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) in aortic upper wall. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the relation of aortic upper wall TDI and aortic stiffness and other parameters of LV diastolic function.


METHODS
We examined aortic upper wall by TDI at the 3 cm above the aortic valves because of patient's chest discomfort or dyspnea. We excluded the patient with arterial hypertension or reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) or significant valvular heart disease. So a total of 126 (mean age 53.8 +/- 13.9 years, male 49.2%) patients were enrolled in this study and divided normal LV filling group (N = 31) and abnormal LV filling group (N = 95).


RESULTS
Aortic upper wall early systolic velocity and late diastolic velocity were not different between the two groups. Only aortic upper wall early diastolic velocity (AWEDV) was related to aortic stiffness index (r =-0.25, P = 0.008), distensibility (r = 0.28, P = 0.003), early diastolic (Em) (r = 0.45, P = 0.001), E/Em (r =-0.26, P = 0.003), and significantly reduced in abnormal LV filling group (6.19 +/- 2.50 vs 8.18 +/- 2.87, P = 0.001).


CONCLUSIONS
AWEDV is decreased significantly in abnormal LV filling patients. It is statistically related to aortic stiffness, distensibility and parameters of abnormal LV filling, Em, E/Em. TDI velocity of the aortic upper wall can be a helpful tool for evaluating aortic stiffness, distensibility, and diastolic function.
Suh
Soon Yong
SY
Cardiovascular Center, Konkuk University Hospital, Seoul, Korea.
Kim
Eung Ju
EJ
Choi
Cheol Ung
CU
Na
Jin Oh
JO
Kim
Sung Hea
SH
Kim
Hyun Joong
HJ
Han
Seong Woo
SW
Chung
Sang Man
SM
Ryu
Kyu Hyung
KH
Park
Chang Gyu
CG
Seo
Hong Seog
HS
Oh
Dong Joo
DJ
D000328:Adult; D001018:Aortic Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004548:Elasticity; D054459:Elasticity Imaging Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018487:Ventricular Dysfunction, Left / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology*