[Electrocardiography and echocardiography in the diagnosis of chronic cor pulmonale]

The study was aimed at evaluating the possibilities of electrocardiography (ECG) and echocardiography in establishing the diagnosis of chronic pulmonary heart disease (CPHD). Sixty patients with a chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and clinical symptoms of cardiac decompensation were observed. The examined patients ranged from 26 to 74 years of age, the mean age being 59.25 years. The diagnosis of CPHD was established by electrocardiography in 43 patients (78.18%) while in 57 patients (95%) it was done by ultrasound cardiography. Morphologic changes of the right ventricle (RV) were quantified, i.e. the diagnosis of chronic pulmonary heart disease was confirmed by echocardiography parameters such as right ventricle free wall thickness--RVFWT (0.82 +/- 0.09 cm), enddiastolic right ventricle dimension--ERVD (3.78 +/- 0.73 cm) and tricuspid regurgitation--TR (2.9 +/- 0.59, i.e. 2.58 +/- 0.55 after therapy). The information on the right ventricle function was provided by the values of echocardiography parameters, right ventricle ejection fraction--RVEF (30.98 +/- 5.88%, i.e. 34.1 +/- 5.64 after therapy) and right ventricle systolic pressure--RVSP (60.41 +/- 16.98 mmHG, i.e. 51.50 +/- 12.76 after therapy). Monitoring of these values after therapy, as well as of the RTO changes gave a good insight into the therapy effects. Echocardiography has been concluded to be of better sensitivity than ECG in diagnosing CPHD and both methods, noninvasive and easily applicable, have an important role in examining cardiac changes in patients with COPD.