Accuracy of three-dimensional systolic dyssynchrony and sphericity indexes for identifying early left ventricular remodeling after acute myocardial infarction.

OBJECTIVE: Left ventricle (LV) geometry and dyssynchrony are associated with LV remodeling after acute myocardial infarction (AMI). The aim of this prospective study was to assess the diagnostic value of new three-dimensional echocardiography (3DE) parameters [sphericity (SI) and systolic dyssynchrony indexes (SDI)] for the prediction of LV remodeling after AMI and to compare them with two-dimensional echocardiography (2DE) parameters. METHODS: 2DE and 3DE were performed in 75 patients with AMI within 3 days from the onset of MI and 6 months later. LV remodeling was defined as a ≥15% increase in the LV end-diastolic volume (EDV) at follow-up. 3D SI was calculated by dividing EDV by the volume of a sphere whose diameter was derived from the major end-diastolic LV long axis. SDI was considered as a standard deviation of the time from cardiac cycle onset to minimum systolic volume in 16 LV segments. RESULTS: LV remodeling was identified in 34 (45%) patients using the 2DE method and in 22 (29%) patients using the 3DE method. Evaluated 3DE parameters, such as EDV [area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC) 0.742, sensitivity 71%, specificity 79%], end-systolic volume (AUC 0.729, sensitivity 69%, specificity 78%), SDI (AUC 0.777, sensitivity 73%, specificity 77%), and SI, had significant prognostic value for LV remodeling. According to the AUC, the highest predictive value had 3D SI (AUC 0.957, sensitivity 90%, specificity 91%). CONCLUSION: 3DE parameters, especially 3D SI and SDI, play important roles in the prediction of LV remodeling after AMI and can be used in clinical practice.

Association of the genetic and traditional risk factors of ischaemic heart disease with STEMI and NSTEMI development.

INTRODUCTION: To evaluate the influence of traditional risk factors of ischaemic heart disease and genetic factors to predict different types of acute coronary syndromes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Five hundred and twenty-three patients with acute coronary syndromes (393 with ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and 130 with non-ST elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI)) comprised the study group. The control group consisted of 645 subjects free from symptoms of ischaemic heart disease and stroke. Genetic polymorphisms of MMP-2 (-735) C/T, MMP-2 (-1306) C/T, MMP-3 (-1171) 5A/6A, MMP-9 (-1562) C/T and ACE I/D were evaluated using polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: Patients with acute coronary syndromes more often had ID or II genotype than DD genotype of ACE ( P = 0.04) and 5A5A or 5A6A genotype than 6A6A genotype of MMP-3 ( P = 0.02) in comparison to the control group. The genotypes of other matrix metalloproteinase genes did not differ between the groups. 5A5A and 5A6A genotypes of MMP-3 (odds ratio (OR) 1.5; P = 0.021), II and ID genotypes of ACE (OR 1.7; P = 0.006) along with traditional ischaemic heart disease risk factors such as smoking (OR 4.9; P = 0.001), hypertension (OR 2.0; P = 0.001), diabetes mellitus (OR 2.9; P = 0.001) and dyslipidaemia (OR 2.1; P = 0.001) increased the risk of STEMI. However, the polymorphism of MMP-3 5A/6A and ACE I/D was not associated with the occurrence of NSTEMI. CONCLUSIONS: Genetic polymorphisms of MMP-3 5A/6A and ACE I/D along with conventional ischaemic heart disease risk factors increase the risk of the occurrence of STEMI, while having no influence on the pathogenesis of NSTEMI.

Dobutamine-stress echocardiography speckle-tracking imaging in the assessment of hemodynamic significance of coronary artery stenosis in patients with moderate and high probability of coronary artery disease.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Myocardial deformation indices are considered as sensitive markers of ischemia and may be useful in the quantification of hemodynamic significance of coronary artery disease (CAD). We sought to determine the diagnostic value of speckle-tracking echocardiography derived myocardial deformation parameters at rest and during stress to determine hemodynamically significance coronary artery stenosis in patients with moderate and high probability of CAD. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In 81 patients (mean age, 64±8.6 years) with stable CAD inducible myocardial ischemia was evaluated by dobutamine stress echocardiography (DSE) and adenosine magnetic resonance imaging (AMRI). Based on AMRI patients were divided into two groups: nonpathologic (n=41) and pathologic (n=40). Strain and strain rate (SR) parameters and their changes from the rest (BASE) to low stress (MIN), peak stress (MAX), and recovery (REC) were analyzed using 2D speckle-tracking imaging (STI). RESULTS: In the nonpathologic group, systolic longitudinal and circumferential strain increased significantly from BASE to MIN, as well as systolic SR from BASE to MIN and from MIN to MAX in longitudinal plane. In contrast, in the pathologic group, insignificant longitudinal systolic SR increase and radial and circumferential systolic SR decrease from MIN to MAX was observed. Discriminant function analysis revealed that select STI derived parameters best classify patients into predefined AMRI groups (pathologic and nonpathologic) with the accuracy respectively 90.9% and 83.3%. According to ROC analysis these myocardial deformation parameters had the greatest predictive value of significant coronary artery stenoses: longitudinal strain at high dose (AUC 0.811, sensitivity 89.4%, specificity 64.7%), longitudinal strain rate at high dose (AUC 0.855, sensitivity 88.1%, specificity 71.0% at high doses). The sensitivity and specificity of inducible wall motion abnormalities were 74.0% and 85.0% (AUC 0.798) and was lower compared with the diagnostic value of longitudinal myocardial deformation parameters. CONCLUSIONS: Left ventricular strain and strain rate analyses during DSE can be used in the assessment of hemodynamic significance of coronary artery stenosis in patients with moderate and high risk for CAD.

Early and late diastolic strain rate vs global longitudinal strain at rest and during dobutamine stress for the assessment of significant coronary artery stenosis in patients with a moderate and high probability of coronary artery disease.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this prospective study was to assess the usefulness of global longitudinal strain (GLS), regional diastolic and systolic strain, strain rate (SR) parameters at rest and during dobutamine stress echocardiography for detecting significant coronary artery stenosis in patients with a moderate or high probability of coronary artery disease (CAD). METHODS: Dobutamine stress echocardiography and adenosine magnetic resonance imaging (AMRI) were performed on 127 patients with a moderate and high probability of CAD and left ventricle ejection fraction ≥55%. CAD was defined as ≥70% diameter stenosis on coronary angiography validated as hemodynamically significant by AMRI. Patients were grouped according to coronary angiography and AMRI results: CAD (-) n=67 (52.8%) vs CAD (+) n=60 (47.2%). RESULTS: There were no significant differences of clinical characteristics, conventional echocardiography, and deformation parameters between the two groups at rest except that GLS was higher in the CAD (-) group (-21.5±2.4% vs -16.2±2.1%, P=.00). GLS at high dobutamine doses had the highest area under the ROC curve (AUC) (AUC 0.955, sensitivity 94%, specificity 92%). Radial late diastolic SR at low doses performed best out of all diastolic parameters with an AUC of 0.789, sensitivity 76.7%, specificity 91.7%. Other deformation parameters including visual assessment were inferior. CONCLUSIONS: Global longitudinal strain is highly sensitive and specific in detecting hemodynamically significant coronary artery stenosis in moderate- to high-risk patients without known CAD. This is the first study showing that GLS is more sensitive and specific compared with early and late diastolic SR parameters or visual assessment in detecting CAD.

Effect of clinical factors and gene polymorphism of CYP2C19*2, *17 and CYP4F2*3 on early stent thrombosis.

AIM: To determine the main clinical and genetic factors having impact on early coronary stent thrombosis. MATERIALS & METHODS: Genotyping of CYP2C19*2, *17 and CYP4F2*3 in patients with (n = 31) and without stent thrombosis (n = 456) was performed. Clinical and genetic data were analyzed by binary logistic regression. RESULTS: Smoking (OR: 0.317; 95% CI: 0.131-0.767), high-density lipoprotein level in mmol/l (OR: 0.142; 95% CI: 0.040-0.506), CYP2C19*2*2 versus *1*1 and *1*2 genotype (OR: 11.625; 95% CI: 3.498-38.633), CYP4F2 AA versus GA and GG genotype (OR: 3.532; 95% CI: 1.153-10.822) were associated with early stent thrombosis. CONCLUSION: For the first time we have identified a clinically important polymorphism (CYP4F2 G1347A) that was independently associated with early stent thrombosis. Original submitted 18 August 2014; Revision submitted 10 November 2014.

Association of major cardiovascular risk factors with the development of acute coronary syndrome in Lithuania.

Cardiovascular (CV) disease remains the leading cause of death in Lithuania. Timely recognition of CV risk factors and intervention to reduce these risk factors is of absolute importance to prevent coronary heart disease and reduce its burden on society. This study aimed to compare the prevalence of major CV risk factors in general population and acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients and to determine their association with the development of ACS. Five hundred and twenty-three ACS patients and 645 age- and gender-matched control subjects were enrolled in the study. Smoking, dyslipidaemia, diabetes, and hypertension, but not overweight or obesity, were significantly more prevalent in the ACS patients, compared with control group. The prevalence of smoking, overweight or obesity, and dyslipidaemia were significantly higher in younger patients. Hypertension was highly prevalent in all age subgroups. More than a half of all patients aged <45 years had three or four CV risk factors. Smoking [odds ratio (OR), 7.03, P < 0.0001], hypertension (OR, 1.82; P = 0.001), dyslipidaemia (OR, 1.99; P < 0.0001), and diabetes (OR, 2.30; P < 0.001) were significantly associated with ACS. Significant association of traditional CV risk factors, such as smoking, dyslipidaemia, hypertension, and diabetes with ACS, and high prevalence of these risk factors, especially in younger individuals, calls for attention, and implementation of prevention programmes to reduce the burden of CV morbidity and mortality in Lithuania.