Related Experiment Videos
Assessment of ventricular function in arterial hypertension with radionuclide ventriculography
M Radice1, A Albertini, C Alli
1Semeiotica Medica, Università di Milano, Italy.
Insights
Hypertension impairs early diastolic function in the left ventricle, even in young patients without cardiac hypertrophy. This study reveals reduced ventricular filling rates in hypertensive individuals compared to controls.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Cardiovascular Physiology
Background:
- Hypertension is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease.
- Left ventricular diastolic dysfunction can precede systolic dysfunction and clinical symptoms.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess left ventricular diastolic function in untreated patients with mild to moderate hypertension.
- To compare diastolic function between hypertensive patients and normotensive controls.
Main Methods:
- Gated radionuclide ventriculography was used to evaluate diastolic function.
- 29 untreated hypertensive patients and 21 normotensive controls were studied.
Main Results:
- Hypertensive patients showed a significantly longer time to peak filling rate (p < 0.01).
- First-third filling fraction and peak filling rate were significantly reduced in hypertensive patients (p < 0.001).
- Ejection fraction and peak ejection rate were also significantly reduced in hypertensive patients (p < 0.001).
Conclusions:
- Early impairment of left ventricular filling occurs in hypertension.
- Diastolic dysfunction is present even in young hypertensive patients without cardiac hypertrophy.
- No correlation was found between diastolic impairment and age, cardiac hypertrophy, or hypertension severity.
Abstract:
Diastolic function of the left ventricle was assessed in 29 untreated patients with mild to moderate hypertension and in 21 normotensive control subjects using gated radionuclide ventriculography. In hypertensive patients, the time to peak filling rate was significantly longer (p less than 0.01) than that in control subjects, and first-third filling fraction and peak filling rate were significantly reduced (p less than 0.001). The ejection fraction and peak ejection rate were also significantly reduced in hypertensive patients (p less than 0.001). No relation was observed between diastolic functional impairment and age, cardiac hypertrophy, or severity of hypertension. Thus, early impairment of ventricular filling is present in hypertension, even in young patients without evidence of cardiac hypertrophy.