[Relationship between right ventricular mechanical delay and right ventricular systolic function in patients with...

To investigate the relationship between right ventricular (RV) mechanical delay and RV dysfunction in patients with pulmonary hypertension (PH).

A total of 51 patients with PH were divided into mild, moderate and high PH groups and 30 healthy volunteers served as control group. RV mechanical delay (defined as the difference in time to peak systolic annular velocity between the RV free wall and the ventricular septum) and RV fractional area change were obtained on apical four chamber view with Quantitive Tissue Velocity Imaging (QTVI).

RV mechanical delay increases in proportion to pulmonary pressure. RV fractional area change was similar between control and mild PH patients while significantly reduced in moderate and high PH patients compared to controls. RV mechanical delay significantly correlated to RV fractional area change in all PH groups (r = -0.79; r = -0.66; r = -0.80, all P < 0.05).

RV mechanical delay measured by QTVI can be used to evaluate RV dysfunction in patients with pulmonary hypertension.