Disturbed right ventricular diastolic function in patients with systemic sclerosis: a Doppler tissue imaging study.

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Rheumatology
• Pulmonology

Background:

• Systemic sclerosis (SSc) significantly impacts cardiopulmonary health, often leading to poor prognosis due to pulmonary hypertension and right-heart failure.
• Right ventricular (RV) involvement in SSc is a critical but understudied aspect affecting patient outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate and characterize RV function in patients with SSc.
• To correlate RV functional changes with the clinical manifestations of systemic sclerosis.

Main Methods:

• Doppler echocardiography and Doppler tissue imaging were employed to assess cardiac function in 26 SSc patients and 25 healthy controls.
• Pulmonary function tests were conducted to evaluate respiratory health in both groups.

Main Results:

• SSc patients exhibited increased RV free wall thickness and right atrial area compared to controls.
• Altered diastolic function was observed in SSc patients, indicated by a reduced early diastolic/atrial component velocity ratio and prolonged isovolumic relaxation times.
• Reduced RV global filling time and pulmonary artery acceleration time were noted in SSc patients, despite similar resting RV systolic function and pulmonary pressures.

Conclusions:

• Patients with SSc demonstrate early alterations in RV diastolic function, characterized by increased RV wall thickness and right atrial area.
• These echocardiographic findings suggest potential RV disturbances, possibly as an early response to intermittent pulmonary arterial hypertension.
• The identified changes may serve as early indicators of RV involvement in systemic sclerosis.