title: Comparison between left atrial features in well-controlled hypertensive patients and normal subjects assessed by three-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Three-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography (3D-STE) has a major advantage in the improvement of accuracy in the evaluation of cardiac chamber volume without any geometrical assumption. Thus, the aim of this study was to use 3D-STE to elucidate the features of left atrial (LA) volume and function that are altered by hypertension (HTN) by comparing well-controlled HTN patients with normal subjects.
  
  
  METHODS
  Conventional echocardiographic parameters and LA phasic volume and function were measured from apical view by 3D-STE in 40 patients with well-controlled HTN [systolic blood pressure (BP) <140 and diastolic BP <90mmHg for more than one year] and 40 normotensive subjects.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The passive LA emptying function (EF) in the patients with well-controlled HTN significantly decreased (16±7% vs. 22±8%, p=0.0013) and the active LAEF in patients with well-controlled HTN significantly increased (35±10% vs. 30±9%, p=0.029) compared with the values in normotensive subjects. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that E/e' was an independent determinant of well-controlled HTN. The maximum LA volume index was correlated with elevated E/e' (r=0.30, p=0.0064), whereas the maximum LA volume index was not correlated with LV mass index or systolic BP. This change was independent of age.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results suggest that LV diastolic dysfunction occurs before structural changes of left atrium and left ventricle even in patients with well-controlled HTN.
authors.affiliation: Department of Echo Laboratory, Gifu Prefectural General Medical Center, Gifu, Japan.
authors.forename: Noriyuki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Onishi
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Gifu University Graduate School of Medicine, Gifu, Japan. Electronic address: masanori@ya2.so-net.ne.jp.
authors.forename: Masanori
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kawasaki
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Gifu Prefectural General Medical Center, Gifu, Japan.
authors.forename: Ryuhei
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Sawada Hospital, Gifu, Japan.
authors.forename: Hidemaro
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sato
authors.affiliation: Department of Echo Laboratory, Gifu Prefectural General Medical Center, Gifu, Japan.
authors.forename: Maki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Saeki
authors.affiliation: Department of Echo Laboratory, Gifu Prefectural General Medical Center, Gifu, Japan.
authors.forename: Maki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nagaya
authors.affiliation: Department of Echo Laboratory, Gifu Prefectural General Medical Center, Gifu, Japan.
authors.forename: Noriaki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sato
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Gifu Prefectural General Medical Center, Gifu, Japan.
authors.forename: Shingo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Minatoguchi
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Gifu University Graduate School of Medicine, Gifu, Japan.
authors.forename: Takatomo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Watanabe
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Gifu Prefectural General Medical Center, Gifu, Japan.
authors.forename: Koji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ono
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Gifu Prefectural General Medical Center, Gifu, Japan.
authors.forename: Masazumi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Arai
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Gifu Prefectural General Medical Center, Gifu, Japan.
authors.forename: Toshiyuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Noda
authors.affiliation: Department of Echo Laboratory, Gifu Prefectural General Medical Center, Gifu, Japan.
authors.forename: Kazuo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Amano
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Sawada Hospital, Gifu, Japan.
authors.forename: Koshi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Goto
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Gifu Prefectural General Medical Center, Gifu, Japan.
authors.forename: Sachiro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Watanabe
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Gifu University Graduate School of Medicine, Gifu, Japan.
authors.forename: Shinya
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Minatoguchi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002306:Cardiac Volume; D003971:Diastole; D019560:Echocardiography, Three-Dimensional / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006325:Heart Atria / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012016:Reference Values; D013599:Systole; D018487:Ventricular Dysfunction, Left / Q000209:etiology
keywords: Atrial function; Atrial volume; Hypertension; Speckle tracking; Three-dimensional echocardiography