Two-dimensional ultrasound speckle tracking imaging in evaluation of early changes in left ventricular diastolic...

To investigate two-dimensional ultrasound speckle tracking imaging (STI) in evaluating values of early changes in left ventricular diastolic function in patients with essential hypertension (EH).

Seventy-five EH patients with left ventricular normal geometry (LVN), including 38 cases with nonleft atrial enlargement (NLAE) and 37 cases with left atrial enlargement (LAE), and 50 healthy persons were enrolled as study participants. Two-dimensional images of LV apical four-chamber view, two chamber view, and LV long-axis view and short-axis view of mitral annular, papillary muscle, and apical levels were obtained to measure early diastolic E' peak value, late diastolic A' peak value, and E'/A' ratio at LV apical longitudinal strain rate (SrL) and short-axis radial strain rate (SrR), circumferential strain rate (SrC), and rotation rate (RotR) in all cardiac segments. Average values of E', A', and E'/A' at SrL in three segments on long-axis and SrR, SrC, and RotR on three short-axis levels were calculated. Untwisting rate (Untw R) and untwisting half-time (UHT) were also calculated.

(1) Data on 110 of 125 patients were usable for STI analysis. (2) There were no intersegment significant differences between A' at SrL in three segments or interlevel significant differences between A' at SrR in three levels in the NLAE group and the LAE group. (3) Compared with the normal group, E' at SrL and E'/A' at SrL, SrR and SrC, and Untw R reduced in the NLAE group and the LAE group, while A' at SrL, SrR, and SrC and E' at RotR increased and UHT extended.

STI may be helpful for the detection of early changes in left ventricular diastolic function in patients with EH.