Postsystolic strain index is associated with delayed diastolic lengthening and diastolic dysfunction of the left ventricle in untreated hypertension

Assessment of Postsystolic Shortening and Global Longitudinal Strain Improves the Sensitivity of Dobutamine Stress Echocardiography in End-Stage Liver Disease

BACKGROUND

Dobutamine stress echocardiography (DSE) remains a widely used method for detection of coronary artery disease (CAD) in patients with end-stage liver disease (ESLD) despite low sensitivity. Speckle-tracking assessment of strain may enhance the sensitivity of DSE in the general population, but the value of strain analysis in ESLD is unknown.

METHODS

Dobutamine stress echocardiography with two-dimensional speckle-tracking and quantitative coronary angiography were performed in 146 patients with ESLD. Thirty-six patients (25%) had CAD (≥50% diameter stenosis of a major vessel). Global longitudinal strain at rest (GLSr) and at peak stress (GLSp) and an index of postsystolic (PSSi) shortening ([maximal extent of shortening - extent of shortening in systole]/[extent of shortening in systole]) were determined. A PSSi of ≥ 0.25 was considered evidence for CAD. Receiver operating characteristic analysis was used to determine the optimal thresholds of GLSr and GLSp for CAD and to assess the diagnostic performance of visual assessment of wall motion (WMA) and strain parameters. The sensitivity and specificity of WMA, GLSr, GLSp, and PSSi were compared.

RESULTS

Thirty-six patients (25%) had significant CAD. The areas under the curve for WMA, GLSr, GLSp, and PSSi were 0.60, 0.72, 0.68, and 0.78, respectively. Visual assessment of wall motion had a sensitivity of 28%. The sensitivity of each of the strain parameters, GLSr (53%, P = .016), GLSp (69%, P = .004), and PSSi (78%, P < .001), exceeded the sensitivity for WMA. Visual assessment of wall motion specificity was 92%, which exceeded the specificity for each of the strain parameters (GLSr = 82%, P = .037; GLSp = 63%, P < .001; and PSSi =78%, P = .009). Of the strain parameters, PSSi had the best balance between sensitivity and specificity (both 78%).

CONCLUSION

Assessment of GLS and PSSi with DSE yields better sensitivity than WMA in ELSD patients. Index of postsystolic shortening had the best diagnostic performance of all parameters in this population with a low prevalence of CAD.

Effects of postsystolic shortening and diastolic dyssynchrony on myocardial work in untreated early hypertension patients

OBJECTIVES

Myocardial work is estimated from noninvasive pressure-strain loop for advanced assessment of left ventricular function. Postsystolic shortening and diastolic dyssynchrony of left ventricle were noted early in hypertension. Their novel effects on myocardial work will be illustrated in this study.

METHODS

We recruited 43 newly diagnosed hypertensive patients (mean age 51.3 ± 12.5 years, 55.8% men) and 32 age-matched and sex-matched healthy individuals (mean age 52.7 ± 10.5 years, 37.5% men) as control. Pressure-strain loop derived myocardial work incorporated global longitudinal strain from speckle tracking echocardiography with brachial artery cuff pressure. Postsystolic strain index (PSI) was defined by the percentage of postsystolic shortening over peak strain. Diastolic dyssynchrony was assessed by standard deviation of time to peak early diastolic strain rate (TDSr-SD) of 18 segments, and maximal difference of time to peak early diastolic strain rate (TDSr-MD) between any two segments.

RESULTS

After multivariate regression analysis, global myocardial work index (GWI) was independently correlated with TDSr-SD (B = -0.498, P = 0.001) and TDSr-MD (B = -0.513, P = 0.001). Global myocardial constructive work (GCW) was independently correlated with TDSr-SD (B = -0.334, P = 0.025) and TDSr-MD (B = -0.397, P = 0.007). Global myocardial wasted work (GWW) was independently correlated with PSI (B = 0.358, P = 0.019). Global myocardial work efficiency (GWE) was lower in hypertensive patients than healthy control (P = 0.001). The untreated hypertensive patients were different from the healthy individuals with higher TDSr-SD, TDSr-MD, GWI, GCW, GWW, and PSI (all P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, the effect of diastolic dyssynchrony mainly influenced constructive work, whereas postsystolic shortening affected wasted work in early untreated hypertension.

Postsystolic shortening and early systolic lengthening for early detection of myocardial involvement in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus

BACKGROUND

Cardiac involvement predicts a poor prognosis in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Two-dimensional speckle-tracking echocardiography (2D-STE) are used to identify subclinical myocardial involvement in various diseases. This study objected to evaluate postsystolic shortening (PSS) and early systolic lengthening (ESL) by 2D-STE for early detection of myocardial involvement in patients with SLE.

METHODS

A total of 121 patients with preserved left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) in SLE and 30 healthy controls underwent standard 2D-STE in our study. According to SLE disease activity index (SLEDAI), we divided SLE patients into two groups: the group of inactive disease (SLEDAI ≤ 4) and active disease (SLEDAI ≥ 5). The maximum of postsystolic strain index (PSI_max ) and early systolic strain index (ESI_max ) were acquired from 17 segments of left ventricular (LV). We also compared the PSI_max and ESI_max of basal, medial, and apical segments between SLE patients and controls.

RESULTS

Compared with healthy controls and the group of SLEDAI ≤ 4, the group of SLEDAI ≥ 5 had higher PSI_max and ESI_max value of global LV and basal segments. The absolute value of global longitudinal strain (GLS) had no difference between the group of active disease and inactive disease. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that PSS was independently associated with SLEDAI and diabetes mellitus.

CONCLUSIONS

Detection of PSS and ESL enable to identify LV systolic impairment in SLE patients at an early stage.

Multi-parametric speckle tracking analyses to characterize cardiac amyloidosis: a comparative study of systolic left ventricular longitudinal myocardial mechanics

Cardiac amyloidosis (CAM), the most common cardiac storage disease is associated with significant changes in left-ventricular (LV) morphology and function. To gain particular insights into LV systolic longitudinal myocardial mechanics we investigated seven parameters derived by speckle-tracking-echocardiography (STE) in patients with confirmed CAM (n = 59). The results were compared with those of individuals with healthy heart (n = 150) and another primary myocardial disease with also thickened myocardium and severe diastolic and systolic LV-dysfunction (symptomatic LV-non-compaction-cardiomyopathy, LV-NC, n = 30). In addition to standard echocardiographical measures, the STE-derived data were evaluated and documented utilizing polar-diagrams to obtain overviews of longitudinal myocardial mechanics of the entire LV. Compared with healthy individuals, patients with CAM and LV-NC showed significantly reduced LV-ejection-fraction (EF), global longitudinal systolic peak-strain, strain-rate, and displacement. Pre-systolic stretch-index, post-systolic index, and the EF/global peak-longitudinal-strain-ratio (EF/S) were increased. In contrast to healthy-hearts and the LV-NC group only patients with CAM demonstrated significantly reduced time-to-peak systolic longitudinal strain and time-to-peak strain-rate. Although the level of the segmental values in longitudinal mechanics was significantly different between the groups, comparable intraventricular baso-apical parameter-gradients were found for systolic longitudinal peak-strain and strain-rate, pre-systolic-stretch-index, post-systolic-index, and peak systolic displacement. Compared to ATTR-amyloidosis (ATTR-CAM), patients with AL-amyloidosis (AL-CAM) demonstrated significantly lower end-diastolic and end-systolic LV-volumes, LV-mass-indices, relative apical strain, time-to-peak systolic longitudinal strain, and time-to-peak longitudinal strain-rate. CAM and LV-NC demonstrated altered myocardial mechanics with significantly different STE-derived echocardiographical parameters. ATTR-amyloidosis and AL-amyloidosis had at least significantly different time-to-peak strain, time-to-peak strain-rate and relative apical sparing values.

Correlation Between Glycated Hemoglobin (HbA1c) and Post-Systolic Index Measured by Speckle-Tracking Echocardiography in Patients with Non-apparent Coronary Artery Disease

Glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) is a useful biomarker for the diagnosis of diabetes and also for determination of individuals with an increased risk of a severe disease. Some subtle changes in myocardial contractile function is measurable by post-systolic index (PSI) which is defined as late systolic shortening after aortic valve closure. The aim of our study was to determine the relationship between HbA1c and PSI in patients with non-apparent coronary artery disease (CAD) on angiograms. This study was a historical cohort study on 85 consecutive patients with a left ventricular ejection fraction ≥ 50% and non-apparent CAD on angiogram. Patients were divided into two groups based on their HbA1c levels, regardless of the diagnosis of diabetes in these patients, to patients with an HbA1c level of equal or higher than 5.7% and those with an HbA1c of less than 5.7%. A speckle-tracking echocardiography was performed for all patients and global longitudinal strain, PSI, left ventricular diameters, left atrial volume, pulsed-Doppler-derived transmitral early (E wave) and late (A wave) diastolic velocities, and tissue-Doppler-derived mitral annular early diastolic (e') and peak systolic (s') velocities were determined. PSI, E/e' ratio, and A wave were higher and e' velocity was lower in patients with HbA1c ≥ 5.7% than those with a level of < 5.7% (P value = 0.04, 0.001, 0.014, and 0.004, respectively). Other echocardiographic variables were not different between two groups. Multiple linear regression analysis showed the association between HbA1c and PSI was independent of other demographic, biochemical, and echocardiographic variables (B = 35.674, 95% CI 10.741-60.606, P value = 0.006). Our study showed PSI is more pronounced in individuals with an HbA1c > 5.7% than those with a lower value in the absence of CAD. Because PSI is an important indicator of adverse outcome and increased mortality, these data can underline the importance of an abnormal HbA1c level and its association with subtle cardiac dysfunction, irrespective of the diagnosis of diabetes in patients with non-apparent CAD.

Myocardial Postsystolic Shortening and Early Systolic Lengthening: Current Status and Future Directions

The concept of paradoxical myocardial deformation, commonly referred to as postsystolic shortening and early systolic lengthening, was originally described in the 1970s when assessed by invasive cardiac methods, such as ventriculograms, in patients with ischemia and animal experimental models. Today, novel tissue-based imaging technology has revealed that these phenomena occur far more frequently than first described. This article defines these deformational patterns, summarizes current knowledge about their existence and highlights the clinical potential associated with their understanding.

Systolic longitudinal global and segmental myocardial mechanics in symptomatic isolated left ventricular non-compaction cardiomyopathy

BACKGROUND

Left ventricular (LV) non-compaction cardiomyopathy (LV-NC) is rare, and data of segmental myocardial mechanics are largely lacking. We investigated myocardial longitudinal mechanics in adults with symptomatic LV-NC (n = 30) versus individuals with healthy hearts (n = 150). The contribution of compacted and non-compacted myocardial layer to systolic LV function has to be determined.

METHODS

Seven parameters derived from speckle tracking echocardiography were evaluated and documented utilizing polar-diagrams to obtain overviews of myocardial mechanics of the entire LV.

RESULTS

According to embryonal myocardial development, non-compacted myocardium was mostly located in mid-ventricular and apical segments of the free LV wall. LV ejection fraction was reduced in LV-NC (34 ± 15%, healthy 63 ± 5%, P < .0001). The compact wall layer in LV-NC demonstrated increasing systolic radial thickness (diastolic 5.6 ± 1.4, systolic 6.5 ± 1.4mm, P = .016), whereas the non-compacted layer remained unchanged or tended to decrease in thickness (diastolic 17.6 ± 5.3, systolic 16.0 ± 4.6mm, P = .22). Compared with heart-healthy individuals in LV-NC peak systolic longitudinal strain (healthy -21.1% vs. LV-NC -8.8, P < .0001), peak systolic longitudinal strain-rate (-1.23%/s vs. -0.64, P < .0001), and peak longitudinal displacement (12.1 vs. 5.6 mm, P < .0001) were reduced, while pre-systolic stretch index (1.31% vs. 3.2%, P < .0001) and post-systolic index (2.5% vs. 15.9%, P < .0001) increased. Time-to-peak longitudinal strain (371 vs. 389 ms, P = .065) and time-to-peak longitudinal strain rate (181 vs. 200 ms, P = .0677) did not differ significantly. In LV-NC, there were no significant differences between analyses using an interpolated endocardial border along the edges of the recesses and the endocardial edge of the compact wall layer. Hence, LV function appeared to depend only on the thin compact wall layer.

CONCLUSION

In LV-NC, myocardial efficiency is severely diminished compared with healthy controls and LV function seemed to depend mainly on the compact myocardial wall layer.

Role of collagen turnover biomarkers in the noninvasive assessment of myocardial fibrosis: an update

The pro-fibrotic milieu, as the result of the extracellular matrix remodeling, is a central feature in the pathophysiology of heart disease and contributes to its high morbidity and mortality. Fibrosis is a recognized risk factor for development of heart failure and arrythmias and is usually detected by cardiac magnetic resonance or endomyocardial biopsy. Collagen type I and type III are major components of the collagen network, and the assessment of their derived biomarkers could serve as estimate of the myocardial fibrotic content. This review summarizes data from numerous studies in which these biomarkers have proven their diagnostic and prognostic utility, setting the stage for further randomized clinical trials that might translate into early implementation of antifibrotic therapies.

Postsystolic index for distinguishing coronary artery disease in left bundle branch block

BACKGROUND

Left bundle branch block (LBBB) is associated with a high risk of death, particularly from ventricular tachyarrhythmia and myocardial infarction. It is difficult to clinically differentiate between ischemic and nonischemic LBBB. In this study, we investigated whether advanced echocardiographic variables, such as strain delay index (SDI) and postsystolic index (PSI), can be used to distinguish coronary artery disease (CAD) in patients with LBBB.

METHODS

Our study included 102 patients with LBBB. All patients underwent echocardiography. The left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), left ventricular mass, PSI, SDI, global longitudinal strain (GLS), and time-to-peak longitudinal strain were then calculated. Coronary angiography was performed, and the patients were divided into groups with significant CAD and without significant CAD.

RESULTS

Patients in the group with significant CAD were older than the patients in the group without significant CAD. The group had a higher prevalence of diabetes mellitus, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and family history of CAD than the group without significant CAD. The group with significant CAD also had lower LVEF and GLS than the group without significant CAD. The group without significant CAD showed a direct correlation between LVEF and SDI and an inverse correlation between LVEF and PSI: P value = 0.040 and r = 0.255, and P value = 0.001 and r = -0.427, respectively. However, the group with significant CAD did not show any significant correlation between LVEF and SDI or PSI.

CONCLUSION

Strain delay index and PSI may be useful markers in distinguishing CAD in patients with LBBB and preserved LVEF.

Physiological left ventricular segmental myocardial mechanics: Multiparametric polar mapping to determine intraventricular gradients of myocardial dynamics

OBJECTIVE

We investigated physiological systolic left ventricular (LV) myocardial mechanics and gradients to provide a database for later studies of diseased hearts.

METHODS

The analyses were performed in 131 heart-healthy individuals and included seven parameters of myocardial mechanics using speckle tracking echocardiography (STE).

RESULTS

Basal to apical and circumferentially significant physiological intraventricular parameter gradients of myocardial activity were determined. Global mean values and segmental ranges were peak systolic longitudinal strain -21.2 ± 3.3%, 95% confidence interval [CI] -21.8% to -20.6%), gradient (basal to apical) -16.0% to -26.7%; peak systolic longitudinal strain rate -1.24 ± 0.31%/s, 95% CI -1.29% to -1.19%/s, gradient (basal to apical) -0.91% to -1.61%/s; post-systolic index 2.6 ± 3.2%, 95% CI 3.15%-2.05%, gradient (basal/medial/apical) 7.0/1.2/2.4%; pre-systolic stretch index 1.3 ± 2.7%, 95% CI 1.77%-0.83%, gradient (basal/medial/apical) 6.5/0.2/1.3%; peak longitudinal displacement 12.2 ± 2.6 mm, 95% CI 12.6-11.8 mm, gradient (basal to apical) 21.0-3.4 mm; time-to-peak longitudinal strain 370 ± 43 ms, 95% CI 377-363 ms, gradient (basal to apical) 396-361 ms; and time-to-peak longitudinal strain rate 180 ± 47 ms, 95% CI 188-172 ms, gradient (basal to apical) 150-200 ms.

CONCLUSION

This study generated a database of seven STE-derived parameters of physiological segmental and global myocardial LV mechanics. The resulting sets of three-dimensional intraventricular mappings of the entire LV provide physiological parameter gradients in baso-apical and circumferential direction by applying the 17-segment polar model. This will facilitate comparison of systolic myocardial activity of the healthy LV with diseased or otherwise altered (eg, sports) hearts.

Association between Left Ventricular Postsystolic Shortening and Diastolic Relaxation in Asymptomatic Patients with Systemic Hypertension

BACKGROUND

Few data have existed on myocardial postsystolic shortening (PSS) accounting for left ventricular (LV) diastolic dysfunction in systemic hypertension. We examined this relationship, along with clinical and other cardiac parameters, in asymptomatic patients with hypertension.

METHODS

We analyzed 104 patients on pharmacological treatment for hypertension who had no signs or symptoms of heart failure for conventional and speckle tracking echocardiography. The sum of the postsystolic index for multiple LV segments (total PSI) and global longitudinal strain (GLS) was computed and used as measures for global PSS and myocardial systolic function, respectively. The tissue Doppler e' and the speckle tracking-derived global strain rate during early diastole (e'sr) were obtained as indicators of LV relaxation. The circumferential end-systolic stress was also determined noninvasively and substituted for a measure of myocardial afterload.

RESULTS

Main variables that correlated with the e' and e'sr were shown to be age, LV mass index, left atrial volume index, GLS, and the total PSI. Multivariate analysis including gender, circumferential end-systolic stress, and the use of calcium channel blockers as possible covariates revealed that age (β = -0.29, P = 0.002), total PSI (β = -0.26, P = 0.008), and LV mass index (β = -0.25, P = 0.017) were significant independent determinants of e' and that age (β = -0.34, P < 0.001) and GLS (β = -0.28, P = 0.006) were of e'sr.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings indicate that while depending on the degree of GLS, PSS may affect diastolic relaxation in patients with asymptomatic, but treated, hypertensive patients.

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

Objectives

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.