title: Characteristics of myocardial postsystolic shortening in patients with symptomatic hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy before and half a year after alcohol septal ablation assessed by speckle tracking echocardiography.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Postsystolic shortening (PSS) has been proposed as a marker of myocardial dysfunction. Percutaneous transluminal septal myocardial ablation (PTSMA) is an alternative therapy for patients with hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM) that results in sustained improvements in atrial structure and function. We investigated the effects of PTSMA on PSS in HOCM patients using speckle tracking imaging.
  
  
  METHODS
  Conventional echocardiographic and PSS parameters were obtained in 18 healthy controls and 30 HOCM patients before and half a year after PTSMA.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared with the healthy controls, the number of segments having PSS and the average value of PSS were significantly increased in the HOCM patients. At 6 months after PTSMA, both the number of segments having PSS (10.5±2.8 vs. 13.2±2.6; P<0.001) and the average value of PSS (-1.24±0.57 vs. -1.55±0.56; P = 0.009) were significantly reduced. Moreover, the reductions in the average value of PSS correlated well with the reductions in the E-to-Ea ratio (r = 0.705, P<0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Both the number of segments having PSS and the average value of PSS were significantly increased in the HOCM patients. PTSMA has a favourable effect on PSS, which may partly account for the persistent improvement in LV diastolic function in HOCM patients after PTSMA.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, State Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Disease, Fuwai Hospital, National Center for Cardiovascular Disease, Peking Union Medical College and Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Jiansong
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yuan
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.
authors.forename: Shi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, State Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Disease, Fuwai Hospital, National Center for Cardiovascular Disease, Peking Union Medical College and Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Shubin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Qiao
authors.affiliation: Department of Echocardiography, State Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Disease, Fuwai Hospital, National Center for Cardiovascular Disease, Peking Union Medical College and Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Fujian
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Duan
authors.affiliation: Department of Echocardiography, State Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Disease, Fuwai Hospital, National Center for Cardiovascular Disease, Peking Union Medical College and Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Jiafen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Echocardiography, State Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Disease, Fuwai Hospital, National Center for Cardiovascular Disease, Peking Union Medical College and Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Hao
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D055011:Ablation Techniques / Q000009:adverse effects*; D000328:Adult; D002312:Cardiomyopathy, Hypertrophic / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004452:Echocardiography; D000431:Ethanol / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate; D006346:Heart Septum / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged
chemical_list: D000431:Ethanol