[Changes in left ventricular torsion during ischemia-reperfusion]

We aimed to characterise the alterations of left ventricular twist during ischaemia-reperfusion and to study their relationship to global left ventricular function. Systolic left ventricular twist was measured at the mid-papillary muscle level by colour tissue Doppler echocardiography in 7 anaesthetised open-chest dogs at baseline, 90 min-occlusion of the left anterior descending, and 180 min after reflow. Tissue Doppler was also performed in 34 patients after anterior infarct and in 20 controls. In controls, rotation occurred counterclockwise when viewed from the base. In a random subset of subjects, the assessment of ventricular twist by tissue Doppler was validated against magnetic resonance myocardial tagging. Myocardial ischaemia led to a decrease in ventricular twist in dogs and infarct patients (p < 0.01). This decrease was correlated with the extent of the asynergic area and global left ventricular function (p < 0.001). In dogs, cardiac twist was higher after reflow relative to ischaemia (p < 0.01). Thus, acute myocardial ischaemia is responsible for a decrease in left ventricular twist that is related to global ventricular function. Colour tissue Doppler echocardiography provides straightforward assessment of left ventricular twist in humans.