Postsystolic index for distinguishing coronary artery disease in left bundle branch block
Maryam Nabati1, Payam Mahmoudi2, Jamshid Yazdani3
1Department of Cardiology, Faculty of Medicine, Cardiovascular Research Center, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran.
Insights
Advanced echocardiographic measures, strain delay index (SDI) and postsystolic index (PSI), may help differentiate coronary artery disease (CAD) in patients with left bundle branch block (LBBB). These markers show promise for identifying CAD in LBBB patients with preserved ejection fraction.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Echocardiography
- Cardiac Imaging
Background:
- Left bundle branch block (LBBB) increases mortality risk, especially from ventricular tachyarrhythmia and myocardial infarction.
- Differentiating ischemic from nonischemic LBBB is clinically challenging.
- Advanced echocardiographic parameters are explored for improved diagnostic capabilities in LBBB.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the utility of strain delay index (SDI) and postsystolic index (PSI) in distinguishing coronary artery disease (CAD) in patients with LBBB.
- To assess the correlation between echocardiographic findings and the presence of significant CAD.
Main Methods:
- 102 patients with LBBB underwent comprehensive echocardiography, calculating parameters like LVEF, GLS, SDI, and PSI.
- Coronary angiography was performed to categorize patients into significant CAD and no significant CAD groups.
- Statistical analysis compared demographic, clinical, and echocardiographic data between groups.
Main Results:
- Patients with significant CAD were older and had higher prevalence of traditional CAD risk factors.
- Significant CAD group showed lower LVEF and GLS.
- A significant correlation between LVEF and SDI/PSI was observed in the no-CAD group, but not in the significant CAD group.
Conclusions:
- Strain delay index (SDI) and postsystolic index (PSI) show potential as biomarkers for identifying CAD in LBBB patients.
- These echocardiographic indices may aid in differentiating CAD in LBBB patients with preserved left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF).
Background:
Left bundle branch block (LBBB) is associated with a high risk of death, particularly from ventricular tachyarrhythmia and myocardial infarction. It is difficult to clinically differentiate between ischemic and nonischemic LBBB. In this study, we investigated whether advanced echocardiographic variables, such as strain delay index (SDI) and postsystolic index (PSI), can be used to distinguish coronary artery disease (CAD) in patients with LBBB.
Methods:
Our study included 102 patients with LBBB. All patients underwent echocardiography. The left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), left ventricular mass, PSI, SDI, global longitudinal strain (GLS), and time-to-peak longitudinal strain were then calculated. Coronary angiography was performed, and the patients were divided into groups with significant CAD and without significant CAD.
Results:
Patients in the group with significant CAD were older than the patients in the group without significant CAD. The group had a higher prevalence of diabetes mellitus, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and family history of CAD than the group without significant CAD. The group with significant CAD also had lower LVEF and GLS than the group without significant CAD. The group without significant CAD showed a direct correlation between LVEF and SDI and an inverse correlation between LVEF and PSI: P value = 0.040 and r = 0.255, and P value = 0.001 and r = -0.427, respectively. However, the group with significant CAD did not show any significant correlation between LVEF and SDI or PSI.
Conclusion:
Strain delay index and PSI may be useful markers in distinguishing CAD in patients with LBBB and preserved LVEF.
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