Right ventricular ejection fraction is better reflected by transverse rather than longitudinal wall motion in pulmonary hypertension.
BACKGROUND
Longitudinal wall motion of the right ventricle (RV), generally quantified as tricuspid annular systolic excursion (TAPSE), has been well studied in pulmonary hypertension (PH). In contrast, transverse wall motion has been examined less. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate regional RV transverse wall motion in PH, and its relation to global RV pump function, quantified as RV ejection fraction (RVEF).


METHODS
In 101 PH patients and 29 control subjects cardiovascular magnetic resonance was performed. From four-chamber cine imaging, RV transverse motion was quantified as the change of the septum-free-wall (SF) distance between end-diastole and end-systole at seven levels along an apex-to-base axis. For each level, regional absolute and fractional transverse distance change (SFD and fractional-SFD) were computed and related to RVEF. Longitudinal measures, including TAPSE and fractional tricuspid-annulus-apex distance change (fractional-TAAD) were evaluated for comparison.


RESULTS
Transverse wall motion was significantly reduced at all levels compared to control subjects (p < 0.001). For all levels, fractional-SFD and SFD were related to RVEF, with the strongest relation at mid RV (R(2) = 0.70, p < 0.001 and R(2) = 0.62, p < 0.001). For TAPSE and fractional-TAAD, weaker relations with RVEF were found (R(2) = 0.21, p < 0.001 and R(2) = 0.27, p < 0.001).


CONCLUSIONS
Regional transverse wall movements provide important information of RV function in PH. Compared to longitudinal motion, transverse motion at mid RV reveals a significantly stronger relationship with RVEF and thereby might be a better predictor for RV function.
Department of Pulmonary Diseases, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Taco
T
Kind
Gert-Jan
GJ
Mauritz
J Tim
JT
Marcus
Mariëlle
M
van de Veerdonk
Nico
N
Westerhof
Anton
A
Vonk-Noordegraaf
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D006976:Hypertension, Pulmonary / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013318:Stroke Volume