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A-wave acceleration: a new Doppler echocardiographic index for evaluation of left ventricular diastolic dysfunction

Tarek A Abd El-Aziz1

  • 1Cardiology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Zagazig University, Egypt. tarekaziz98@yahoo.com

Angiology
|April 5, 2008
PubMed

Insights

Detecting diastolic dysfunction in older adults is challenging. A-wave acceleration using Doppler echocardiography reliably identifies left ventricular diastolic dysfunction in the elderly, irrespective of age.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Echocardiography
  • Diastolic Function

Background:

  • Age-related changes complicate Doppler assessment of left ventricular diastolic function.
  • Accurate detection of diastolic dysfunction in elderly patients with cardiac disease is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the reliability of Doppler indexes for diagnosing left ventricular diastolic dysfunction in the elderly.
  • To identify age-independent Doppler markers for diastolic dysfunction.

Main Methods:

  • Pulsed Doppler echocardiography was used to assess diastolic function.
  • Six groups were studied: young normal, elderly normal, and elderly with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, aortic stenosis, coronary artery disease, and dilated cardiomyopathy (10 subjects each).

Main Results:

  • A-wave acceleration showed no significant difference between young and elderly normal subjects.
  • Except for A-wave acceleration, all other Doppler indexes failed to differentiate normal elderly from elderly with cardiac diseases.
  • A-wave acceleration demonstrated potential as an age-independent diagnostic index.

Conclusions:

  • A-wave acceleration is a reliable Doppler index for diagnosing left ventricular diastolic dysfunction in the elderly.
  • This index is less affected by age, aiding in the differentiation of diastolic dysfunction in older cardiac patients.

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