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[Flow in the entry chamber of the left ventricle. Changes with age]
M M Carmo1, R Soares, T Ferreira
1Serviço de Cardiologia do Hospital de Santa Marta, H.C.L., Lisboa.
Objectives:
To evaluate the influence of aging in the parameters of the left ventricle diastolic function, using 2D-Doppler echocardiography.
Study Design:
Prospective study of normals subjects.
Material And Methods:
They were studied 38 normals subjects aged between 23-70 years divided in two groups: group A--20 subjects aged less than 45 years (34.5 +/- 6) and group B--18 subjects aged greater than 45 years (55.7 +/- 8.4); we registered the left ventricle inflow flows by 2D-pulsed Doppler Echocardiography and analyzed the following indexes: E and A Velocities, E/A ratio, relations of areas under the curves of flow, E Area/Total Area (EAr/TAr), A Area/Total Area (AAr/TAr), 33% Area/Total Area (33Ar/TAr), 50% Area/Total Area (50Ar/TAr) and A Area/E Area (AAr/EAr).
Results:
E Vel and E/A ratio are significantly higher in the group A (p less than 0.001), both decreasing with aging, respectively r = -0.71 and r = 0.63; on the other way, the relative contribution of atrial systole to the left ventricle diastolic filling is significantly higher in the group B(ArA/ArT p less than 0.001; AAr/EAr p less than 0.001), increasing significantly with aging, r = 0.64 and r = 0.69, respectively.
Conclusions:
There is an increasing of atrial contribution to the left ventricular diastolic filling in the elderly, so in comparative studies it must be used control groups with the same age.