title: An initial study on left ventricular diastolic function in patients with hypertrophy cardiomyopathy using single-beat, real-time, three-dimensional echocardiography.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the regional diastolic function in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) by using single-beat, real-time, three-dimensional echocardiography (RT-3DE).
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixty-five patients with HCM in sinus rhythm together with fifty age- and gender-matched normal controls were studied by two dimensional echocardiography (2DE) and RT-3DE. The parameters analyzed by RT-3DE included: left ventricular (LV) volumes, left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), end diastolic sphericity index (EDSI), diastolic dyssynchrony index (DDI), dispersion end diastole (DISPED), and normalized 17 segmental volume-time curves.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Evaluated by RT-3DE, LVEF was slightly lower compared with 2DE (63.2 ± 6.8% vs. 59.1 ± 6.4%, P < 0.0001). Normal subjects had relatively uniform volumetric curves for all LV segments. In HCM patients, the segmental volumetric curves were dyssynchronous. Increased DDI and DISPED in end diastole were observed in patients with HCM (9.95 ± 3.75, 41.76 ± 17.19, P < 0.0001), and not all abnormal volumetric segments occurred in the hypertrophic regions.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients with HCM have presented regional diastolic dyssynchrony in the diastole phase, and this preclinical lesion can be recognized by single-beat RT-3DE.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Chinese PLA General Hospital, 28 Fuxing Road, 100853 Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Bei
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Juan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Yong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Hong-Wei
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Guang
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zhi
keywords: Diastolic dyssynchrony; Echocardiography; Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy