Myocardial Strain Imaging in Resistant Hypertension

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Medical Imaging
• Hypertension Research

Background:

• Resistant hypertension (RH) is a significant risk factor for cardiovascular diseases and mortality.
• Chronic high blood pressure leads to cardiac remodeling, including impaired left ventricular (LV) function, left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH), myocardial fibrosis, and left atrial (LA) enlargement.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the utility of two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography (STE) for assessing cardiac remodeling in hypertensive patients, particularly those with uncontrolled RH.
• To highlight the potential benefits of STE as a non-invasive imaging technique in this population.

Main Methods:

• Review of recent literature on echocardiography and resistant hypertension.
• Focus on the application of two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography (STE) in evaluating cardiac changes.

Main Results:

• Conventional echocardiography is useful for assessing hypertension-mediated organ damage (HMOD).
• STE offers advanced risk assessment and can detect early-stage LV dysfunction and myocardial fibrosis, outperforming conventional 2D parameters.

Conclusions:

• STE is a promising echocardiographic marker for evaluating cardiac remodeling and dysfunction in patients with hypertension and RH.
• STE provides valuable insights beyond conventional echocardiography for risk stratification.