Alterations in echocardiographic left ventricular function after percutaneous coronary stenting in diabetic patients with isolated severe proximal left anterior descending artery stenosis

There are conflicting theories regarding the use of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) of isolated severe proximal left anterior descending (LAD) artery stenosis in place of left internal mammary artery grafting in diabetic patients. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of PCI on left ventricular function and determine difference between diabetics and non-diabetics.

A prospective study was conducted on 50 patients with isolated severe proximal LAD stenosis: 23 diabetic and 27 non-diabetic patients. Successful PCI with everolimus-eluting stents was performed for all of the patients. These patients underwent transthoracic echocardiography within 24h before and 1 month after PCI, and alterations in the left ventricular parameters were compared between the two groups.

There was a significant 12% increment in the mitral annular peak systolic velocity (s') (p=0.02), 21% decrement in the trans mitral early filling deceleration time (DT) (p<0.001), 10% decrement in the systolic left ventricular internal dimension (LVIDs) (p=0.002), significant increment in the left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) (p=0.004), and significant decrement in the left atrial diameter (p=0.006) in the diabetic patients after performing PCI. Conversely, the non-diabetic patients showed a statistically significant 14% increase in the DT, 6.3% decrease in the s' velocity, 8% increase in the LVIDs, significant increment in the left atrial diameter and no change in LVEF after PCI.

Our study demonstrated that everolimus-eluting stents favorably improved the markers of left ventricular systolic and diastolic function in diabetic patients with isolated severe proximal LAD stenosis compared with those of non-diabetic patients with the same condition.