title: Left ventricular strain and strain rate echocardiography analysis in patients with total and subtotal occlusion in the infarct-related left anterior descending artery.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Numerous studies show that percutaneous coronary intervention has no clinical benefit in patients with total occlusion. Both regional and global left ventricle (LV) functions may be evaluated in detail by strain (S) and strain rate (SR) echocardiography. The purpose of this study is to evaluate whether S and SR echocardiography may be used to determine the total occlusion.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixty stable patients who have total or subtotal occlusion in the infarct-related left anterior descending artery were enrolled (Total occlusion group: 35 and subtotal occlusion group: 25 patients). In all patients, LV longitudinal S and SR data were obtained from total 14 segments.
  
  
  RESULTS
  S values of middle and apical segments of LV were significantly lower in the total occlusion groups. In SR analysis, middle and apical values of all walls were significantly different between the groups. The total SR of the middle and apical segments was significantly lower in the total occlusion group (respectively, total SR in middle segments: -3.4 ± 0.8% vs. -4.6 ± 1.0%, P < 0.00001 and total SR in apical segments: -1.7 ± 0.5% vs. -2.8 ± 0.6%, P = 0.001). The total SR values of four walls were also significantly lower in the total occlusion group (-10.3 ± 2.0% vs. -13 ± 3.1%, P < 0.0001). For predicting total occlusion, the highest sensitivity levels (84%) were obtained in SR of middle-anterior segment. SR of middle-septum and middle-lateral segments has the highest specificity levels (86%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Total occlusion in stable patients with acute coronary syndrome has an unfavorable effect on the LV regional and global functions. Patients with total occlusion may be identified by S and SR echocardiography.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Erciyes University Medical Faculty, Kayseri, Turkey. nihatkalay@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Nihat
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kalay
authors.forename: Ahmet
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Celik
authors.forename: Tugrul
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Inanc
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dogan
authors.forename: Ibrahim
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Ozdogru
authors.forename: Mehmet G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Kaya
authors.forename: Abdurrahman
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Oguzhan
authors.forename: Ramazan
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Topsakal
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ergin
mesh_terms: D023921:Coronary Stenosis / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004452:Echocardiography / Q000379:methods; D055119:Elastic Modulus; D054459:Elasticity Imaging Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology*