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Updated: Jan 21, 2026

High-frequency High-resolution Echocardiography: First Evidence on Non-invasive Repeated Measure of Myocardial Strain, Contractility, and Mitral Regurgitation in the Ischemia-reperfused Murine Heart
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Myocardial contractile dispersion: A new marker for the severity of cirrhosis?

Alireza Moaref1, Mahmood Zamirian1,2, Hamed Mirzaei3

  • 1Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.

Journal of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Research
|August 7, 2019
PubMed

Insights

Cirrhotic cardiomyopathy is linked to increased myocardial contractile dispersion (MCd) and QT dispersion (QTd). These cardiac changes, assessed by tissue Doppler imaging, correlate with cirrhosis severity and may predict arrhythmias.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Hepatology
  • Medical Imaging

Background:

  • Cirrhotic cardiomyopathy (CCM) affects morbidity and mortality in liver cirrhosis patients.
  • While QT interval changes are noted, myocardial contractile dispersion (MCd) and QT dispersion (QTd) in cirrhosis are not well-established.
  • Understanding cardiac dysfunction in cirrhosis is crucial for patient management.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare MCd and QTd between cirrhotic patients and healthy controls.
  • To investigate the association of MCd and QTd with the severity of liver cirrhosis.

Main Methods:

  • Prospective cross-sectional study involving 30 cirrhotic patients and 30 healthy controls.
  • Exclusion criteria included structural heart disease, pacing, electrolyte imbalance, and QT-affecting drugs.
  • Myocardial contractile dispersion (MCd) assessed by tissue Doppler imaging (TDI), and QT dispersion (QTd) measured.

Main Results:

  • Cirrhotic patients exhibited significantly higher MCd and QTd compared to healthy individuals (P=0.028 and P=0.010, respectively).
  • Higher MCd was observed in cirrhotic patients with MELD score ≥15 compared to those with MELD <15 (P=0.034).
  • Both MCd and QTd showed a positive correlation with MELD scores.

Conclusions:

  • Liver cirrhosis is associated with increased myocardial contractile dispersion (MCd) and QT dispersion (QTd).
  • MCd and QTd may serve as useful predictors of ventricular arrhythmia in cirrhotic patients.
  • These cardiac parameters could be negative prognostic indicators in the context of liver cirrhosis.

Keywords:
Cirrhotic CardiomyopathyMyocardial Contractile DispersionQT DispersionTissue Doppler Imaging

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