Multiparametric Echocardiographic Assessment for Myocardial Function in Idiopathic Ventricular Fibrillation Patients / 中山大学学报(医学科学版)

ObjectiveTo explore echocardiographic features in idiopathic ventricular fibrillation （IVF） patients by multiparametric echocardiographic assessment， in order to evaluate the feasibility of identifying patients at high risk of ventricular arrhythmia using echocardiography. MethodsPatients diagnosed with IVF for the first time in Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital from January 2019 to December 2023 were included. Age- and sex-matched healthy individuals were included as control. Multiparametric echocardiographic assessment was performed， involving conventional parameters， myocardial mechanical movement parameters， electro-mechanical parameters， and myocardial energetic parameters. Continuous variables were compared using independent samples t-test or Mann-Whitney U test. The receiver operating characteristic （ROC） curves were performed for echocardiographic parameters to assess their diagnostic value for IVF. The intraclass correlation coefficient （ICC） was used to assess the inter-observer and intra-observer variability. ResultsNine patients with IVF and thirty healthy individuals were included in this study. In total， 702 left ventricular segments and 117 right ventricular free wall segments were analyzed for myocardial function. Left ventricular global longitudinal strain （LV-GLS） was lower in IVF group than in the control group ［（18.8±2.7） % vs. （21.2±1.9） %，P=0.004］. Left ventricular mechanical dispersion （LV-MD） was higher in IVF group than in the control group ［（44±13） ms vs. （36±9） ms，P=0.022］. Global work index （GWI） was lower in IVF group than in the control group ［（1991±365） mmHg% vs. （2319±408） mmHg%，P=0.037］. Based on the results of the ROC curve test， LV-GLS， LV-MD and GWI had the better diagnostic performance， with the area under the curve （AUC） of 0.748， 0.737 and 0.722， the cutoff value of 19.5%， 39.5ms and 2049mmHg%， respectively. The combination of three indices had the largest AUC value of 0.800. All echocardiographic parameters had excellent intra-observer repeatability and inter-observer reproducibility. The ICC for all parameters was higher than 0.75. ConclusionOur results show variable degrees of left ventricular dysfunction are observed in IVF patients by multiparametric echocardiographic assessment. Decreased LV-GLS， increased LV-MD and decreased GWI are considered high-risk echocardiographic features for malignant arrhythmia.

Early identification of familial hypertrophic cardiomyopathy mutation gene carriers by constructing Nomogram prediction model based on parametric characteristics of two-dimensional transthoracic echocardiography and three-dimensional speckle tracking imaging / 中华超声影像学杂志

Objective:To explore the characteristics of echocardiographic parameters among the many parameters of two-dimensional transthoracic echocardiography(2D-TTE) and three-dimensional speckle tracking imaging (3D-STI) that can be used for early identification of familial hypertrophic cardiomyopathy(FHCM) mutation gene carriers, and construct a Nomogram prediction model, in order to provide a diagnostic method for early identification of G+ P- patients for clinical practice.Methods:A total of 15 FHCM families admitted to the General Hospital of Ningxia Medical University from November 2017 to August 2022 were enrolled.Whole exome sequencing and Sanger sequencing technology were used for gene detection, among which 54 were G+ P- and 75 were G-P-. Stratified random sampling was used to divide the subjects into training set ( n=90) and test set ( n=39) according to the ratio of 7∶3. Philips iE33 ultrasonic diagnostic instrument and TomTec offline software were used to obtain relevant ultrasonic parameters. Lasso regression and Logistic regression were used to screen echocardiographic parameters and obtain independent risk factors for early prediction of G+ P-, based on which a Nomogram prediction model was established. Results:①Lasso-Logistic regression showed that global longitudinal strain(GLS) ( OR=1.739, 95% CI=1.305-2.316) and left ventricular outflow trac velocity time integral(LVOT-VTI) ( OR=1.358, 95% CI=1.072-1.722) could be used as independent risk factors for early prediction of G+ P-. ②The Nomogram prediction model was established based on the above indicators. After 1000 internal verifications of Bootstrap self-sampling, the C-indices of the training set and the test set were 0.885 (95% CI=0.816-0.954), 0.878 (95% CI=0.764-0.992), which had good internal consistency. ③The results of the calibration curve showed that the risk of G+ P- predicted by the Nomogram model was basically consistent with the actual risk (training set P=0.990, test set P=0.961); the clinical decision curve shows that under different threshold probabilities, using this prediction model to provide patients with clinical decision-making could bring benefits to patients. Conclusions:Echocardiographic parameters GLS and LVOT-VTI can be used as independent risk factors to predict FHCM mutation gene carriers. The Nomogram prediction model has good discrimination, goodness of fit and clinical benefit in identifying whether the family members of FHCM patients carry the mutation gene, and it can provide a new idea and evaluation method for the early identification of FHCM mutation gene carriers by echocardiography.

Follow-up study on the effect of anti-hypertensive therapy on left ventricular myocardial work in elderly patients with hypertension / 中华超声影像学杂志

Objective:To evaluate the effect of different blood pressure control levels on myocardial work by left ventricular pressure-strain loop (LVPSL) in elderly hypertensive patients.Methods:Retrospectively, 158 elderly patients with hypertension in Shanxi Bethune Hospital from January to June 2017 were randomly divided into standard anti-hypertensive group ( n=75) and intensive anti-hypertensive group ( n=83). Another 48 cases of age and sex matched elderly without cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases and other diseases affecting cardiac function were selected as control group. All patients with hypertension underwent echocardiography at baseline, 12 and 24 months after antihypertensive treatment. The parameters of myocardial work, including global work index (GWI), global constructive work (GCW), global wasted work (GWW) and global work efficiency (GWE), were obtained by LVPSL. The changes of myocardial work parameters were compared between the standard group and the intensive group after 12 and 24 months of antihypertensive treatment. Results:①At baseline, GWI, GCW, GWW of the standard group and the intensive group were significantly higher than those of the control group (all P<0.05). ②After 12 and 24 months of antihypertensive treatment, GWI, GCW and GWW in standard and intensive antihypertensive groups decreased continuously ( P<0.05). ③The GWI, GCW and GWW of the intensive antihypertensive group were lower than those of the standard antihypertensive group at 12 and 24 months after antihypertensive treatment ( P<0.05). ④After 12 months of antihypertensive treatment, the reductions of GWI, GCW and GWW in standard and intensive antihypertensive groups were greater than those in 24 and 12 months of antihypertensive treatment (all P<0.05), and the reductions of GWI, GCW and GWW in intensive antihypertensive group were greater than those in standard antihypertensive group (all P<0.05). Conclusions:Left ventricular systolic function decreases and myocardial work increases in elderly hypertensive patients. Left ventricular systolic function improves after antihypertensive treatment, and the improvement of intensive antihypertensive is more obvious than that of standard antihypertensive treatment.

Evaluation of right heart function in persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn by two-dimensional speckle-tracking imaging / 中华超声影像学杂志

Objective:To assess the altered right atrial(RA) function using two-dimensional speckle-tracking imaging(2D-STI) in patients with persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn(PPHN), and investigate the diagnostic value of different right heart strain parameters in PPHN.Methods:Ultrasound images of 42 newborns with clinically confirmed diagnosis of PPHN in the neonatal intensive care unit of Shenzhen Children′s Hospital (median gestational age 37 + 1 weeks, median age 6 d) and 30 normal newborns (control group, median gestational age 37 + 3 weeks, median age 6.5 d) from January 2020 to January 2023 were retrospectively analyzed, all with gestational age ≥34 gestational weeks. 2D-STI was applied to evaluate RA function: RA strain(RA LS) and area change fraction(RA FAC), where RA LS included RA reservoir strain (εs), RA conduit strain (εe) and RA active contract strain (εa), while evaluating right ventricle(RV) function: RV global longitudinal strain(RV GLS), RV FAC, etc. And the degree of pulmonary artery pressure(PAP) was assessed by tricuspid regurgitation velocity(TRV). The above parameters were compared between the PPHN group and the control group, and the correlations between RA function parameters, RV function parameters and PAP in PPHN group were analyzed. The area under ROC curve (AUC) was used to compare the accuracy of each parameter in the evaluation of impaired cardiac function in PPHN patients. Results:Compared with the control group, RA function (εs, εe, εa and RA FAC) were impaired in PPHN patients (all P<0.05). εs was positively correlated with RV GLS, RA FAC ( r=0.494, 0.356, both P<0.05) and negatively correlated with minimum right atrial area (RAA min), pulmonary artery diameter (PAD), and tricuspid annular internal diameter ( rs=-0.285, r=-0.495, -0.396; both P<0.05); εe was negatively correlated with PAD ( rs=-0.256, P<0.05); εa was positively correlated with RV GLS ( r=0.499, P<0.05) and negatively correlated with PAD and tricuspid annular internal diameter ( r=-0.390, -0.380; both P<0.05); RA FAC was positively correlated with RV GLS ( r=0.365, P<0.05) and negatively correlated with PAD and tricuspid annular internal diameter ( r=-0.439, -0.328; both P<0.05). RA LS and RA FAC had no correlations with TRV-estimated PAP ( P>0.05). ROC analysis showed that the sensitivity and specificity of εs<40.50% for diagnosing PPHN was 0.905 and 0.800, respectively, with an AUC of 0.929; the sensitivity and specificity of RV GLS<18.55% for diagnosing PPHN were 0.905 and 0.900, respectively, with an AUC of 0.963; εs combined with RV GLS was the best indicator for early detection of right heart functional impairment in PPHN, with sensitivity and specificity of 0.905 and 1.000, respectively, and AUC was 0.985. Conclusions:RA function and RV function are both impaired in PPHN patients. εs combined with RV GLS is the best indicator for early assessment of right heart function impairment and diagnosis of PPHN.

Application research of fetal HQ in the systolic function of 24 segments in dichorionic diamniotic twin pregnancy / 中华超声影像学杂志

Objective:To evaluate the systolic function of 24 segments in dichorionic diamniotic (DCDA) twin pregnancy by fetal heart qualification (fetal HQ) analysis, and to compare the difference with singleton pregnancies.Methods:Thirty-one cases of DCDA twin pregnancy (observation group) and 100 cases of singleton pregnancy (control group) matched in gestational age were enrolled. They underwent perinatal health care in the Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from February 2022 to February 2023.Fetal HQ was applied to track endocardial motion trajectories and automatically calculate the global strain (GS), fractional area change (FAC) and fractional shortening (FS) of 24 segments of left and right ventricles in order to compare the difference between DCDA fetuses and singleton fetuses. One case of twins with growth discordance were selected to demonstrate the utility of this technique.Results:①There were no statistically significant differences in GS, FAC and 24-segments FS of left and right ventricles between the two fetuses in the observation group (all P>0.05). ②The LV-FS of segments 1-10 were higher in the observation group than the control group, and the differences were statistically significant (all P<0.05). However, there were no statistically significant differences in GS and FAC of left and right ventricles, LV-FS of segments 11-24 and RV-FS of segments 1-24 between the observation group and the control group (all P>0.05). The intraclass correlation coefficient(ICC) was greater than 0.75, indicating good repeatability. ③Two fetuses with discordant growth in dichorionic diamniotic twins had abnormal FS in some segments of the left and right ventricles. Conclusions:Fetal HQ technology could easily and reliably evaluate fetal heart function in DCDA pregnancy with good repeatability. The changes of fetal cardiac function in twin pregnancy did not always follow the same pattern as in singleton pregnancy. The related data of singleton pregnancy should not be blindly used in the clinical management and scientific research of twin pregnancy.

Evaluation of Neonatal Left Ventricular Myocardial Contraction via Two-Dimensional Speckle Tracking Imaging / 中国医学影像学杂志

Purpose To use two-dimensional speckle tracking imaging(2D-STI)to evaluate left ventricular myocardial strain in term and preterm neonates.Materials and Methods A total of 81 neonates who accepted echocardiography in Soochow University Affiliated Children's Hospital from February to August 2018 were retrospectively enrolled,including 42 term neonates and 39 preterm neonates.Longitudinal and circumferential peak strain of each segment of left ventricle were measured by 2D-STI,and the average global longitudinal peak strain(GLPS-avg)and the average global circumferential peak strain(GCPS-avg)of left ventricular were measured too.Left ventricular ejection fraction(LVEF-M,LVEF-Simpson),short-axis shortening rate(LVFS-M),left ventricular end-diastolic diameter(LVEDD),and tissue Doppler imaging parameters(E',A' and E'/A')of the septal mitral annulus were also measured.The differences in each segment of left ventricle and echocardiography between term neonates and preterm neonate were further compared.Results There were statistically significant differences in GLPS-avg,the global longitudinal peak strain from the apical two-chamber view(GLPS-a2c),GCPS-avg and the global circumferential peak strain in the middle and apical segments(GCPS-M ang GCPS-A)(t=-3.60--2.18,all P<0.05)between term neonates and preterm neonates,while there were no significant differences between the global longitudinal peak strain from the apical four-chamber and three-chamber view(GLPS-a4c and GLPS-a3c),the global circumferential peak strain in the basal segments(GCPS-M)(all P>0.05).There were statistically significant differences in GLPS-a4c,GLPS-a2c,GLPS-a3c in preterm neonates group(F=3.20,P=0.044),and the strain value GLPS-a4c was the highest.There were statistically significant differences in GCPS-B,GCPS-M,GCPS-A in preterm neonates group(F=79.15,P<0.001).There were statistically significant differences in GCPS-B,GCPS-M,GCPS-A in term neonates group(F=97.95,P<0.001),and the strain value increased from the basal segment to the apical segments.There was statistically significant difference in LVEDD between term neonates and preterm neonates(all P<0.05).There were no statistically significant differences in LVEF-M,LVEF-Simpson,LVFS-M,E',A' and E'/A' between term neonates and preterm neonates(all P>0.05).Conclusion 2D-STI may be a useful method of measuring left ventricular myocardial systolic function and can provide early detection of differences in left ventricular myocardial contraction between term and preterm neonates.

The application of left ventricular global longitudinal strain in predicting early cardiotoxicity in breast cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy / 安徽医科大学学报

Objective@#To investigate the value of left ventricular global longitudinal strain( LVGLS) in predicting early chemotherapy related cardiotoxicity in breast cancer patients after chemotherapy．@*Methods @#Eighty-six breast cancer patients were enrolled in this study and received 6 cycles of doxorubicin + cyclophosphamide．Conventional echocardiography parameters were measured before chemotherapy ( T0 ) ，immediately after chemotherapy ( T1 ) ，6 months(T2) and 12 months after chemotherapy ( T3 ) ． LVGLS was obtained by 2D speck tracing imaging (2DSTI) ，and the relative change of LVGLS( △LVGLS) was calculated at T1．With the occurrence of cardiotoxicity as the clinical outcome，receiver operating characteristic ( ROC) curve was plotted．The parameters were analyzed at T1 to evaluate the value of △LVGLS in predicting cardiotoxicity. @*Results@#① Although the change in LVEF was not different between T0 and T1 (P ＞0. 05) ，LVEF decreased significantly at T2 and T3 (P ＜0. 05) . ② Compared with T0，LVGLS decreased at T1，which was further damaged at T2 and T3 (P＜0. 05) . ③ Seven patients (8. 1% ) developed chemotherapy-related cardiotoxicity．LVGLS and △LVGLS were correlated with cardiotoxicity at T1 stage ，and △LVGLS was more significant ( r = 0. 64，P ＜0. 001 ) . ROC curve analysis showed that a △LVGLS ＞12% at T1 predicted cardiotoxicity，with sensitivity of 92. 2% ，specificity of 76% ，and area under the curve was 0. 88. @*Conclusion @#The LVGLS decreased earlier than LVEF in breast cancer patients after doxorubicin treatment. △LVGLS ＞12% is a good predictor of cardiotoxicity in patients with breast cancer.

Correlation between left atrial strain and left ventricular diastolic function in hypertensive patients / 中南大学学报(医学版)

OBJECTIVES@#Early detection of asymptomatic diastolic dysfunction is essential to prevent the development of heart failure in hypertensive patients. Current studies suggest that left atrial strain contributes to the evaluation of left ventricular diastolic function, but there are fewer studies on the correlation between left atrial strain and diastolic function in hypertensive patients. In this study, we applied a two-dimensional speckle tracking technique to evaluate the changes in left atrial strain in hypertensive patients, and to investigate the relationship between left atrial strain and left ventricular diastolic function.@*METHODS@#A total of 82 hypertensive patients who were visited the Department of Cardiology at the Third Xiangya Hospital of Central South University from July 2021 to January 2022, were enrolled for this study, and 59 healthy subjects served as a control group. According to the number of left ventricular diastolic function indexes recommended by the 2016 American Society of Echocardiography Diastolic Function Guidelines (mitral annular e´ velocity: Septal e´<7 cm/s, lateral e´<10 cm/s, E/e´ ratio>14, left atrial volume index>34 mL/m2, peak tricuspid regurgitation velocity>2.8 m/s), the hypertensive patients were divided into 3 groups: Group Ⅰ (0 index, n=36 ), Group Ⅱ (1 index, n=39), and Group Ⅲ (2 indexes, n=7). Two-dimensional speckle tracking technique was used to measure left atrial reservoir strain (LASr), conduit strain, and contraction strain, and to analyze the correlation between left atrial strain and left ventricular diastolic function in hypertensive patients.@*RESULTS@#The LASr, left atrial conduit strain (LAScd), and LASr/(E/septal e´) of the hypertension group were lower than those of the control group, and E/LASr was higher than that of the control group. There was no significant difference in left atrium volume index between the 2 groups (P>0.05). Compared with Group Ⅰ, LASr, LAScd, and LASr/(E/septal e´) were decreased in Group Ⅱ and Group Ⅲ, LASr/(E/septal e´) was also decreased in Group Ⅲ compared with Group Ⅱ (all P<0.05). Compared with Group Ⅰ, E/LASr was increased in Group Ⅲ. LASr was positively correlated with septal e´, lateral e´, E, and E/A, and negatively correlated with E/septal e´.@*CONCLUSIONS@#The changes of left atrial function in patients with early hypertension are earlier than those of left atrial structure. Left atrial strain and its combination with conventional ultrasonographic indices [LASr/(E/septal e´)] of diastolic function are potentially useful in assessing left ventricular diastolic function in hypertensive patients.

Preliminary study of cardiac morphology and function in fetuses with tetralogy of Fallot using fetal heart quantification / 中华超声影像学杂志

Objective:To evaluate the fetal heart shape and function in tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) by fetal heart quantitative analysis (fetal HQ).Methods:A total of 52 fetuses with TOF diagnosed by fetal echocardiography and 200 normal fetuses matched with their gestational weeks from March 2020 to March 2022 at Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University were retrospectively evaluated. The basic parameters of fetal cardiac blood vessels in the two groups were measured by fetal HQ technology and conventional M-mode ultrasound technology: aortic valve diameter(AV), pulmonary artery valve diameter(PV), main pulmonary artery diameter (MPA) and Z-score. The overall morphometric measurements including end-diastolic length diameter, transverse diameter, area, and global spherical index (GSI) of the fetal heart in the 4-chamber view(4CV), area and length of the right and left ventricles and their ratios. Measurements of left and right ventricular function included ejection fraction (EF), fraction area change rate (FAC), tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE), left and right ventricular global longitudinal strain (GLS), and left and right ventricular end-diastolic diameter (ED), spherical index (SI), and fractional shortening rate (FS) of 24-segments. The differences of above parameters between TOF group and control group were compared. In addition, the relationships between the absolute value of left and right ventricular GLS of TOF fetus and PV/AV, PV Z-score and MPA Z-score were analyzed. The optimal critical values of GSI, left ventricular EF and left ventricular FAC of TOF fetus were determined by ROC curve, and their corresponding sensitivity and specificity were obtained.Results:Compared with control group, there were significant differences in 4CV end-diastolic length, area, GSI, left ventricular area, left ventricular length, left ventricular EF, left ventricular FAC and left ventricular GLS in TOF group (all P<0.05). There were significant differences in ED between left ventricular 15-24 segments and right ventricular 1-21 segments (all P<0.05). There were significant differences in SI between left ventricular 1-16 segments, 21-24 segments and all segments of right ventricle (all P<0.05). The differences in FS were statistically significant (all P<0.05) when comparing all segments of the left ventricle and 1-2 segments of the right ventricular, and the remaining parameters were not statistically significant (all P>0.05). The left ventricular GLS absolute value of TOF fetuses was positively correlated with PV/AV, PV Z-score and MPA Z-score( rs=0.338, 0.441 and 0.458, all P<0.05), the right ventricular GLS absolute value of TOF fetuses was positively correlated with PV AV, PV Z-score and MPA Z-score( rs=0.418, 0.368 and 0.338, all P<0.05). The optimal critical values of GSI, left ventricular EF, and left ventricular FAC in the diagnosis of fetal TOF were 1.19, 59.05%, and 44.4%, respectively. At this time, the sensitivities of diagnosis of TOF were 0.78, 0.75, and 0.80, respectively. The specificities were 0.88, 0.88 and 0.83, respectively. The areas under ROC curve were 0.89, 0.88 and 0.89, respectively. Conclusions:Fetal HQ technology can provide a simple and reliable quantitative evaluation of fetal heart shape and function, and provide certain theoretical parameters for the study of fetal heart shape and function.

Predictive value of post systolic shortening by two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography on cardiac injury in the breast cancer patients after chemotherapy / 中华超声影像学杂志

Objective:To assess the prognostic potential of post systolic shortening (PSS) on cardiac injury in the breast cancer patients after chemotherapy.Methods:This was a prospective cohort study in breast cancer patients after chemotherapy who were followed up to observe the risk of cardiac injury. A total of 69 female patients with HER-2 negative breast cancer were selected in the Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University from February to August 2019. The post-systolic strain index (PSI) of each segment of left ventricular myocardium after chemotherapy was obtained by two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography. PSI (%) was defined as follows: [(peak strain in cardiac cycle-peak strain in systole)/peak strain in cardiac cycle]×100%. PSS was regarded as meaningful if PSI >20%. End point was cardiac injury, which could be manifested as cardiotoxicity, cardiogenic death, myocardial infarction, unstable angina pectoris, and severe arrhythmias. Occurence of any above mentioned cardiac injuries was considered as end point event. According to the number of myocardial walls with PSS, the patients were divided into three groups: group A (no walls), group B (1 wall), and group C (≥2 walls). Additionally, the patients were also stratified according to tertiles of PSI: layer A (the first tertile), layer B (the second tertile), and layer C (the third tertile).Results:During a median follow-up of 18 months (Q 1=17 months, Q 3=18 months), 17 patients (24.64%) were diagnosed as having end point events. The risk of end point increased with the increase in the number of myocardial walls with PSS and the increase in PSI stratification.After adjusting for age, hypertension, systolic blood pressure, global longitudinal strain, and E peak of mitral early diastolic inflow velocity/average peak early diastolic mitral annular velocity e′ (E/e′), the association remained significant, (Per 1 increase in number of walls with PSS, hazard ratio, 1.96, P=0.007. Per 1% increase in PSI, hazard ratio, 1.44, P<0.001). In terms of predictive ability, the Harrell′s C index of PSS and of PSI was 0.70 and 0.73, respectively, both P<0.01, which indicated moderate accuracy. Conclusions:The presence of PSS in breast cancer patients after chemotherapy can provide independent prognostic information for the future occurrence of cardiac injury.

Evaluation of left ventricular structure and systolic function in amateur marathoners by three-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography / 中华超声影像学杂志

Objective:To assess the left ventricular(LV) structure and systolic function in amateur marathon runners using real-time three-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography(3D-STE) and analyze its correlation with the running volume.Methods:A total of 84 amateur marathon runners were recruited between January 2019 and October 2021 in Hangzhou and were divided into short-term (ST) group(≤6 months) and more extended-term(MET) group(>6 months–2 years) based on their time of participating in the marathon. Thirty-nine healthy volunteers were enrolled from the Affiliated Hospital of Hangzhou Normal University during the same period as a control group. The running volume of ST and MET runners were recorded, LV end-diastolic volume(EDV), end-systolic volume(ESV), LV mass(LVM), LV ejection fraction(LVEF), LV global longitudinal strain(GLS), global circumferential strain(GCS), global radial strain(GRS), global area strain (GAS), twist, and torsion were measured by conventional echocardiography and 3D-STE. The differences of those parameters among the three groups were compared. The correlation between 3D-STE parameters and the running volume was further analyzed.Results:In ST amateur marathon runners, LV EDV was higher compared with controls( P<0.05). Compared with ST and control groups, LV EDV, ESV, and LVM of MET runners were increased(all P<0.05). In addition, compared with control group, GLS of MET runners was increased( P<0.05). The LVEF, GCS, GRS, GAS, twist, and torsion showed no statistically significant differences among the three groups(all P>0.05). In amateur marathon runners LV EDV, ESV, LVM had statistically significant positive correlations with an average weekly running volume and total running volume (all P<0.01). Multivariate linear regression analysis showed that the total running volume was an independent correlation factor in LV EDV of amateur marathon runners (β=0.618, P<0.01). Conclusions:Amateur marathon runners participating in a short term marathon mainly show an increase in LV EDV, the longitudinal systolic function of the LV can be enhanced in the early stage of the marathon.

Postsystolic shortening and early systolic lengthening to diagnose myocardial microvascular dysfunction in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction after emergency percutaneous coronary intervention / 中华超声影像学杂志

Objective:To investigate the diagnostic value of postsystolic shortening (PSS) and early systolic lengthening (ESL) on myocardial microvascular dysfunction in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).Methods:A total of 83 patients with STEMI who received emergency PCI in Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University from June to October 2021 were retrospectively collected. All patiets underwent two-dimensional echocardiography and myocardial contrast echocardiography (MCE) within 7 days after PCI. The patients were divided into global normal perfusion group and poor perfusion group according to global myocardial perfusion score index (MPSI). Left ventricular myocardium was divided into left anterior descending branch (LAD), left circumflex branch (LCx) and right coronary artery (RCA) regions, which were divided into regional normal perfusion group and poor perfusion group based on whether there were segments with microvascular dysfunction. Left ventricular end-systolic volume (LVESV) and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) were measured by modified biplane Simpson method. Tomtec software was used to obtain conventional echocardiographic parameters, global longitudinal strain (GLS), as well as PSS and ESL parameters including postsystolic index (PSI), duration of postsystolic shortening (PSSduration), early systolic index (ESI) and duration of early systolic lengthening (ESLduration). Differences of parameters of global normal and poor perfusion groups, as well as regional normal and poor perfusion groups were compared. ROC curve was used to analyze the diagnostic value of PSS and ESL parameters and GLS in myocardial regions with microvascular dysfunction.Results:Significant differences were observed in LVEF, LVESV, GLS, PSI, ESI and PSSduration between global poor perfusion group and global normal perfusion group (all P<0.05). Compared with regional normal perfusion group, PSI, ESI and ESLduration of LAD and LCx regions, as well as PSI of RCA region in regional poor perfusion group were increased (all P<0.05). For GLS in different myocardial regions, LAD-GLS was the only parameter that decreased in regional poor perfusion group compared to regional normal perfusion group ( P<0.05). ROC curve analysis showed LAD-PSI, LAD-GLS, LCx-PSI, LCx-ESLduration and RCA-PSI were valuable parameters for diagnosis of myocardial microvascular dysfunction in different regions, among which LAD-PSI had the highest area under curve (AUC=0.809). Conclusions:PSS and ESL parameters are helpful for early diagnosis of myocardial microvascular dysfunction in STEMI patients after PCI, and can provide regional myocardial perfusion information according to the blood supply of different coronary arteries.

Predictive value of significant coronary stenosis in patients suspected of non-ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndrome by two-dimensional speckle tracking imaging combined with real-time three-dimensional echocardiography / 中华超声影像学杂志

Objective:To evaluate the left ventricular myocardial strain and mechanical synchrony in patients suspected of non-ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndrome (NSTE-ACS) by two-dimensional speckle tracking imaging (2D-STI) and real-time three-dimensional echocardiography (RT-3DE), and to investigate the value of combined echocadiographic parameters in predication of significant coronary artery stenosis.Methods:A total of 95 patients suspected of NSTE-ACS, definitely planed to run coronary angiography (CAG) within 24-72 hours of admission were recruited in the Department of Cardiology, General Hospital of the Southern Theatre Command, PLA from December 2020 to June 2021. Regular echocardiography exam, 2D-STI and RT-3DE were performed prior to CAG.Global longitudinal peak strain (GLPS), territorial longitudinal peak strain (T RCALPS, T LADLPS, T LCXLPS) were computed by 2D-STI; the maximal difference of time to minimal systolic volume of 16-segments (Tmsv16-Dif), standard deviation of time to minimal systolic volume of 16-segment (Tmsv16-SD) and heart rate adjusted standard deviation of time to minimal systolic volume of 16-segment (Tmsv16-SD/R-R) were obtained by RT-3DE. The patients were divided into two groups according to the degree of coronary stenosis.Significant coronary artery stenosis group was defined as ≥70% of left main or any other main branch luminal narrowing ( n=53), non-significant coronary artery stenosis group was defined as <70% of luminal narrowing ( n=42). The differences of general clinical features, left ventricular strain and mechanical synchronization parameters between the two groups were compared. A binary logistic regression model was established to draw the ROC curve for predicting the severity of coronary stenosis by single and combined ultrasound parameters, and calculate the area under the ROC curve (AUC). Results:Compared with non-significant coronary artery stenosis group, GLPS were significantly reduced, while Tmsv16-SD, Tmsv16-Dif and Tmsv16-SD/R-R were significantly increased in sginificant coronary artery stenosis group (all P<0.05). The AUC of GLPS and Tmsv16-SD, Tmsv16-Dif and Tmsv16-SD/R-R for predicting significant coronary stenosis in suspected NSTE-ACS patients were 0.78, 0.69, 0.71 and 0.67, respectively. The result of joint test analysis for the dignosis of NSTE-ACS suspected significant coronary stenosis were as follows: the specificity of tandem test was 90.5%; the sensitivity of parallel test was 83.0%; the sensitivity, specificity and AUC of GLPS-Tmsv16-Dif joint index prediction test were 90.7%, 60.1% and 0.82 (95% CI=0.73-0.89) with 0.508 as Youden index. Conclusions:NSTE-ACS suspected patients with significant coronary stenosis are often accompanied by impaired left ventricular myocardial strain and mechanical dyssynchrony. A simple combination of left ventricular myocardial strain and contractility synchronization improves noninvasive prediction of high-risk coronary artery stenosis in suspected NSTE-ACS, which maybe helpful for screening patients requiring invasive examination.

Role of three-dimensional speckle tracking imaging in predicting the prognosis of light-chain cardiac amyloidosis with normal left ventricular ejection fraction / 中华超声影像学杂志

Objective:To evaluate the left ventricular myocardial strain in patients with light chain cardiac amyloidosis (AL-CA) with normal left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) by three-dimensional speckle tracking imaging(3D-STI), and to explore the clinical value of 3D-STI in predicting the prognosis of AL-CA patients with normal LVEF.Methods:A total of 80 patients with AL-CA and LVEF≥50% were retrospectively analyzed in the Xijing Hospital of Air Force Military Medical University from October 2014 to May 2020.According to whether the patients had endpoint events, they were divided into endpoint event group and non-endpoint event group. The clinical data, conventional echocardiographic parameters, 3D-STI related parameters and follow-up results were collected. Cox regression proportional hazards model was used to analyze the survival status of AL-CA patients with univariate and multivariate regression analyses, in order to find the relevant indicators of conventional echocardiography and 3D-STI to predict adverse events.Results:All patients were followed up for 20(7.3, 40.8) months. At the end of follow-up, 25 patients had all-cause deaths. Compared with the non-endpoint group, the endpoint event group had significantly increased left ventricular end diastolic maximum wall thickness (MLVWT), peak early diastolic flow velocity/peak early diastolic velocity at mitral annulus(E/e′) (all P<0.05), and decreased LVEF, left ventricular global longitudinal strain (GLS) and basal segment longitudinal strain (LS) (all P<0.05). Multivariate cox regression analysis after adjusting for age and gender showed that basal segment LS ( HR=0.812, 95% CI=0.675-0.976, P=0.026) was an independent predictor of end-point events in patients with AL-CA. Kaplan-Meier survival curve showed that AL-CA patients with basal segment LS≤13.07% were more likely to have endpoint events. Conclusions:Basal segment LS can be used as a predictor of endpoint events in patients with AL-CA.

Comparison of left ventricular function in patients with gestational diabetes mellitus prenatal and postpartum by two-dimentional speckle tracking echocardiography / 中华超声影像学杂志

Objective:To investigate the value of routine echocardiography and two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography in evaluating the left ventricular function of patients with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) prenatal and postpartum.Methods:Twenty-two patients with clinically confirmed GDM in Xiamen Zhongshan Hospital from October 2019 to December 2020 were chosed as the case group, and 22 healthy pregnant women were chosed as the control group. Routine echocardiography and two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography were performed in the third trimester and about 3 months postpartum. Routine echocardiographic parameters and longitudinal strain (LS), circumfirential strain (CS) were obtained. The correlation between global longitudinal strain(GLS) and other cardiac function parameters was analyzed. The relationship between clinical parameters of pregnant women and GLS was analyzed by multiple linear regression.Results:In comparison with the control group, the interventricular septal diameter at disatole, left ventricular posterior wall diameter at diastole, Tei index were increased, e′ was decreased in GDM group(all P<0.05); the GLS, each layer LS of GDM group were lower than the control group(all P<0.05), the GLS, each layer LS and torsion parameters were improved at 3 months postpartum(all P<0.05). There was a negative correlation between GLS and Tei( r=-0.224, P=0.036). GLS and HbA 1c was linearly correlated with the regression equation: GLS=-27.458+ 1.534×HbA 1c( R2=0.115). Conclusions:The left heart function of pregnant women with GDM in the third trimester are significantly impaired, but the cardiac function recovers to a certain extent about 3 months after delivery. Two-dimentional speckle-tracking echocardiography is a more accurate and sensitive technique to evaluate the early damage of cardiac function in pregnant women with GDM.

Evaluation of cardiac function and systolic dyssynchrony of fetuses exposed to maternal anti-SSA and anti-SSB antibodies using two-dimensional speckle tracking imaging / 中华超声影像学杂志

Objective:To evaluate the cardiac function and systolic dyssynchrony of fetuses exposed to maternal autoimmune antibodies (anti-SSA/Ro60, anti-SSA/Ro52 and anti-SSB/La) by using two-dimensional speckle tracking imaging (2D-STI).Methods:A total of 52 pregnant women with singleton pregnancy in the Affiliated Hospital of Inner Mongolia Medical University from July 2018 to November 2020 were selected. Eighteen fetuses of mothers with autoimmune antibodies were enrolled as autoimmune disease (AD) group and 34 fetuses of healthy mothers without antibodies were included as control group. Maternal baseline characteristics, fetoplacental Doppler parameters, and conventional echocardiographic data of two groups were prospectively collected. The systolic global and regional longitudinal strain of left and right ventricles (LV and RV) and the time to peak strain of regional myocardium were measured using 2D-STI. The differences in time to peak strain between the LV free wall and RV free wall (two-chamber dyssynchrony, 2C-DYS) and between the septum and LV free wall (one-chamber dyssynchrony, 1C-DYS) were also calculated.Results:There were no significant differences between the two groups in conventional systolic and diastolic functional parameters for the LV and RV(all P>0.05). The myocardial deformation parameters and 2C-DYS obtained by 2D-STI showed no statistical differences between two groups(all P>0.05). However, 1C-DYS was significantly more prolonged in the AD group than control group[28.50(13.50, 39.25)ms vs 19.50(8.00, 29.25)ms, P=0.042]. Conclusions:LV systolic mechanical dyssynchrony in fetuses of mothers with autoimmune antibodies suggests in-utero subclinical damage of the cardiac conduction system.

Effect of preoperative pulmonary hypertension on right ventricular function of cardiac allograft assessed by two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography / 中华超声影像学杂志

Objective:To investigate the effect of preoperative pulmonary hypertension (PH) on right ventricular function in patients with heart transplantation(HTx) one year after surgery.Methods:A total of 120 patients who underwent HTx in Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology from January 2017 to January 2020 were retrospectively recruited.According to the mean pulmonary arterial pressure (mPAP) obtained by preoperative right heart catheterization, the research subjects were divided into the pulmonary hypertension group (PH group, n=81) and without pulmonary hypertension group (NPH group, n=39). Conventional echocardiographic indices of right ventricular function such as right ventricular area change (RV-FAC), tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE), tricuspid lateral annular systolic velocity (S′), and two-dimensional speckle tracking imaging (2D-STI) strain parameters including right ventricular global longitudinal strain (RV-GLS), right ventricular free wall longitudinal strain (RV-FWLS) were obtained to assess the right ventricular function of grafted hearts. The echocardiographic parameters one year after the operation of the two groups were analyzed to compare the differences in right ventricular function and their correlation with preoperative mPAP. Results:The grafted heart RV-GLS and RV-FWLS were significantly decreased in the PH group (all P<0.01), while RV-FAC, TAPSE, and S′ were similar between the two groups (all P>0.05). RV-FWLS and RV-GLS correlated with preoperative hemodynamic parameter mPAP( rs=-0.46, -0.54; all P<0.05)while RV-FAC, TAPSE, and S′ were not significantly correlated with mPAP (all P>0.05). Conclusions:Preoperative PH correlates with right ventricular function in HTx patients 1 year after the operation. The absolute values of RV-FWLS and RV-GLS in HTx patients with preoperative PH decrease 1 year after the operation. 2D-STI is more sensitive than conventional echocardiography to monitor the changes in right ventricular function in HTx patients after the operation.

Assessment of diaphragmatic dysfunction by two-dimensional speckle tracking imaging in patients with acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease / 中华超声影像学杂志

Objective:To explore the application value of two-dimensional speckle tracking imaging (2D-STI) in evaluating diaphragm function, and to compare the ability of 2D-STI and conventional diaphragm ultrasonography in diagnosing diaphragmatic dysfunction and evaluating disease severity in patients with acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD).Methods:A total of 58 AECOPD patients admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Xi′an Jiaotong University from January to October 2021 were retrospectively enrolled as AECOPD group, and 34 healthy subjects were recruited as control group during the same period. Repeatability test of diaphragmatic 2D-STI was performed. According to modified Medical Research Council (mMRC) dyspnea scores system and COPD Assessment Test (CAT), mMRC 0-1 and CAT<10 was classified as group A, mMRC≥2 and CAT≥10 was classified as group B. The baseline characteristics, conventional diaphragm ultrasonography parameters(thickening fraction and excursion) and 2D-STI parameters (longitudinal and radial strains) were compared between the AECOPD group and the control group, and the Spearman correlation between parameters of AECOPD group and forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) was analyzed. The differences of these parameters between group A and B were also compared. The ROC curve of conventional diaphragm ultrasonography parameters and 2D-STI parameters was plotted to differentiate group A from group B, and the diagnostic efficacy was evaluated.Results:Great intra- and inter-observer reproducibility was found for all diaphragmatic 2D-STI parameters, with ICCs above 0.80 for all measurements. The control group and the AECOPD group did not differ in age, sex and body mass index( P>0.05), whereas there were significant differences in smoking history, lung function, bilateral thickening fraction, excursion, longitudinal and radial strains( P<0.05). Compared with control group, patients in group A had a significant increase in diaphragm thickness ( P<0.05), while there was no significant difference in that between group B and control group ( P>0.05). The bilateral longitudinal strains, radial strains and thickening fraction of diaphragm were linearly correlated with FEV1 (right side rs=0.828, 0.794, 0.843, respectively; all P<0.001; left side rs=0.757, 0.704, 0.752, respectively; all P<0.001 ), while the correlation between excursion and FEV1 was not significant(right side rs=0.247, left side rs=0.253; all P>0.05). There were significant differences in bilateral longitudinal strains, radial strains and thickening fraction between group A and group B(all P<0.05), whereas there was no significant difference in excursion between the two groups ( P>0.05). ROC analysis showed bilateral longitudinal and radial strains had higher accuracy in distinguishing group A from group B than thickening fraction and excursion(right side AUCs 0.90, 0.84, 0.78 and 0.62, respectively; left side AUCs 0.85, 0.83, 0.77 and 0.62, respectively). Conclusions:2D-STI is a real-time noninvasive technique for diaphragm function assessment, which has high clinical value. Compared with conventional ultrasonography, 2D-STI shows more accuracy and effectiveness in diagnosing diaphragmatic dysfunction and evaluating disease severity of patients with AECOPD.

Value of three-dimensional speckle-tracking imaging in evaluating left ventricular systolic function and its correlation with peripheral arterial elasticity in children with simple obesity: a prospective study / 中国当代儿科杂志

OBJECTIVES@#To study the application of three-dimensional speckle-tracking imaging in evaluating left ventricular systolic function and its correlation with peripheral arterial elasticity in children with simple obesity.@*METHODS@#Random sampling combined with convenience sampling was used to obtain research samples, and then the samples were divided into an obesity group (23 cases), an overweight group (21 cases), and a normal group (24 cases). Three-dimensional speckle-tracking imaging was used to measure the global longitudinal strain (GLS), global radial strain (GRS), and global circumferential strain (GCS) of the left ventricle. An automatic arteriosclerosis tester was used to measure ankle-brachial index (ABI) and brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV). These parameters were compared among the three groups. The correlation of three-dimensional speckle-tracking parameters with ABI and baPWV was evaluated.@*RESULTS@#There were no significant differences in GLS, GRS, and GCS between the obesity and normal groups (P>0.05). The overweight group had a significantly higher GLS than the normal group [(-24±7) vs (-19±12), P<0.05]. The obesity and overweight groups had a significantly lower ABI than the normal group [(1.00±0.09)/(1.09±0.13) vs (2.25±0.13), P<0.05). The obesity group had a significantly higher baPWV than the normal group [(978±109) vs (905±22), P<0.05]. In the children with obesity, GLS was positively correlated with baPWV (r=0.516, P<0.05) , but not correlated with ABI (P>0.05), and GCS and GRS had no significant correlation with ABI or baPWV (P>0.05).@*CONCLUSIONS@#There are varying degrees of changes in left ventricular systolic function and peripheral arterial elasticity in children with simple obesity, and there is a certain correlation between them.

Three-dimensional speckle tracking imaging for quantitative evaluation of left ventricular global strain in renal transplant recipients / 器官移植

Objective To evaluate the application value of three-dimensional speckle tracking imaging (3D-STI) in quantitatively evaluating the left ventricular global strain in recipients within 3 months after renal transplantation. Methods Clinical data including blood pressure, serum creatinine and tacrolimus blood concentration of 34 renal transplant recipients were collected before operation, 7 d, 1 month and 3 months after operation, respectively. Meanwhile, conventional echocardiography and 3D-STI examination were performed. Echocardiographic parameters [left ventricular end-diastolic volume (LVEDV), left ventricular end-systolic volume (LVESV) and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF)] and 3D-STI parameters [left ventricular global peak longitudinal strain (GPLS), global peak circumferential strain (GPCS), global peak radial strain (GPRS) and global peak area strain (GPAS)] of recipients were collected. The changes of these parameters before operation, 7 d, 1 month and 3 months after operation were statistically compared. The changing characteristic and application value of 3D-STI in quantitatively evaluating the left ventricular global strain in recipients within 3 months after renal transplantation were evaluated. Results LVEF and GPCS did not significantly differ at different time points (all P > 0.05), whereas LVEDV, LVESV, GPLS, GPAS and GPRS significantly differed at different time points from preoperative to within postoperative 3 months (all P < 0.001). GPLS, GPAS and GPRS trended to decline within postoperative 1 month, and slightly increased at 3 months after operation, which was still lower than the preoperative levels. Conclusions Application of 3D-STI may sensitively detect the changes of left ventricular global strain in recipients after renal transplantation when no significant variations are observed in postoperative LVEF. Compared with conventional echocardiography, 3D-STI may more accurately evaluate the changes of left ventricular global strain in recipients after renal transplantation.