Patients with Diabetes and Significant Epicardial Coronary Artery Disease Have Increased Systolic Left Ventricular Apical Rotation and Rotation Rate at Rest

Subclinical systolic dysfunction detected by 2D speckle tracking echocardiography in adults with diabetes mellitus: systematic review and meta-analysis of 6668 individuals with diabetes mellitus and 7218 controls

PURPOSE

Speckle tracking echocardiography (STE) can help to identify subclinical features of diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM). There is, however, significant heterogeneity in the reported strain values in literature. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to compare cardiac systolic strain values assessed by 2D-STE in asymptomatic adults with diabetes mellitus (DM) and healthy controls.

METHODS

Five databases were searched, and a total of 41 valid studies (6668 individuals with DM and 7218 controls) were included for analysis. Pooled mean in each group and mean difference (MD) for left ventricular global longitudinal strain (LVGLS), LV global circumferential strain (LVGCS), LV global radial strain (LVGRS), LV longitudinal systolic strain rate (LVSR), left atrial reservoir strain (LARS) and right ventricular GLS (RVGLS) were assessed.

RESULTS

Patients with DM had overall 2 units lower LVGLS than healthy subjects 17.5% [16.8, 18.3], vs 19.5 [18.7, 20.4], MD = - 1.96 [- 2.27, - 1.64]. Other strain values were also lower in patients with DM: LVGCS (MD = - 0.89 [- 1.26, - 0.51]); LVGRS (MD = - 5.03 [- 7.18, - 2.87]); LVSR (MD = - 0.06 [- 0.10, - 0.03]); LARS (MD = - 8.41 [- 11.5, - 5.33]); and RVGLS (MD = - 2.41 [- 3.60, - 1.22]). Meta-regression identified higher body mass index (BMI) as the single contributor to worse LVGLS, LVGCS and LVSR. Those with higher Hemoglobulin A1c had worse RVGLS.

CONCLUSION

Myocardial strains were reduced in whole heart in patients with DM. The largest reduction was observed in LA reservoir strain, followed by RVGLS and LVGLS. Higher BMI in patients with DM is associated with worse LV strain values.

Change of left ventricular "rigid body rotation" during dipyridamole-induced vasodilation: A case from the three-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiographic MAGYAR-Stress Study

A patient with previous coronary stenting presented with stable angina and positive exercise treadmill test. Echocardiography with three-dimensional speckle-tracking demonstrated left ventricular rigid body rotation (near absence of left ventricular twist), whose characteristics changed dramatically during dipyridamole-induced vasodilatation. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Ultrasound 46:152-156, 2018.