title: Effect of Coronary Slow Flow on the Longitudinal Left Ventricular Function Assessed by 2-Dimensional Speckle-Tracking Echocardiography.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The coronary slow flow phenomenon is defined as the slow progression of an angiographic contrast agent to the distal part of the coronary arteries on selective coronary angiography in the absence of stenosis. There are some studies with different results about the effect of this phenomenon on left ventricular (LV) function. The aim of our study was to evaluate the longitudinal LV function in the coronary slow flow phenomenon using 2-dimensional (2D) speckle-tracking echocardiography.
  
  
  METHODS
  In a study with a patient-to-patient matched design, 36 patients with the coronary slow flow phenomenon and 36 individuals with normal coronary flow matched for age (±5 years), sex, hypertension, and diabetes mellitus were compared in terms of the longitudinal LV systolic and diastolic functions by pulsed wave tissue Doppler echocardiography and 2D speckle-tracking echocardiography-derived indices.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Lateral s' and e' waves were lower in the patients with the coronary slow flow phenomenon, but there were no statistically significant differences between the groups regarding the other tissue Doppler echocardiographic indices and longitudinal systolic strain and systolic and diastolic strain rates derived by 2D speckle-tracking echocardiography.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results showed that the coronary slow flow phenomenon could not impair the longitudinal LV systolic and diastolic functions.
authors.affiliation: Cardiology Department, Tehran Heart Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Sima
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Narimani
authors.affiliation: Cardiology Department, Tehran Heart Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. ali_hosseinsabet@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hosseinsabet
authors.affiliation: Cardiology Department, Tehran Heart Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Hamidreza
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Pourhosseini
mesh_terms: D016880:Anisotropy; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D003331:Coronary Vessels / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D004452:Echocardiography / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010363:Pattern Recognition, Automated / Q000379:methods*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013318:Stroke Volume; D018487:Ventricular Dysfunction, Left / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000209:etiology
keywords: 2-dimensional speckle-tracking echocardiography; echocardiography; left ventricular function; slow coronary flow; tissue Doppler echocardiography