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Updated: Jun 14, 2026
07:11
Morphological and Functional Assessment of the Right Ventricle Using 3D Echocardiography
Published on: October 28, 2020
Functional capacity and right ventricular function in patients with Chagas heart disease
Maria do Carmo Pereira Nunes1, Francilu R Beloti, Marcia Maria Oliveira Lima
1Departamento de Clínica Médica, School of Medicine, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil. mcarmo@waymail.com.br
Summary
Right ventricular (RV) function, assessed by tissue Doppler imaging, independently predicts exercise capacity in Chagas heart disease patients. RV systolic annular velocity is a key indicator of peak oxygen consumption.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Echocardiography
- Exercise Physiology
Background:
- Right ventricular (RV) dysfunction impacts exercise tolerance in cardiopulmonary diseases.
- The predictive role of RV function for exercise capacity in Chagas heart disease remains under-investigated.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess if RV function, evaluated using tissue Doppler, can predict functional capacity in Chagas heart disease patients.
- To determine the independent contribution of RV function to exercise capacity.
Main Methods:
- Evaluated 65 Chagas heart disease patients (NYHA class I/II).
- Performed standard and tissue Doppler echocardiography (TDI) to measure RV systolic and diastolic velocities.
- Conducted maximal exercise testing using the Bruce protocol and analyzed peak oxygen consumption (VO(2)) predictors via linear regression.
Main Results:
- RV function, measured by TDI RV systolic velocity, correlated with left ventricular ejection fraction (r=0.5, P<0.001).
- Multivariate analysis revealed RV function as an independent predictor of peak VO(2) (r=0.71).
- The model predicting peak VO(2) included RV systolic velocity, age, and gender.
Conclusions:
- RV function is a significant, independent determinant of exercise capacity in Chagas heart disease.
- TDI RV systolic annular velocity strongly associates with peak VO(2), independent of other echocardiographic parameters, age, and gender.
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