Evaluation of left ventricular function in patients with rheumatoid arthritis by noninvasive pressure-strain loop / 中华超声影像学杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective:To evaluate the application value of left ventricular pressure-strain loop (PSL) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) by the PSL.Methods:From April 2020 to June 2021, 75 RA patients(case group) and 35 healthy physical examination person(control group) were selected from the Affiliated Hospital of Inner Mongolia Medical University.According to the disease activity scores 28(DAS28) joint disease range of activity score, the patients were divided into low range of activity group (16 cases), medium range of activity group (35 cases) and high range of activity group (24 cases). Echocardiographic examinations were performed on all patients, conventional ultrasound data were collected and the left ventricular PSL technology was used to analyze the myocardial work parameters, including global work index (GWI), global constructive work (GCW), global waste work (GWW) and global work efficiency (GWE). The mean values of myocardial work index (MWI), constructive work (CW), waste work (WW) and work efficiency (WE) were calculated. The differences of myocardial work parameters between the case groups and the control group were compared, and the correlation analysis of myocardial work parameters with global longitudinal strain of left ventricle(LVGLS), left ventricular ejection fraction(LVEF) and DAS28 scores were conducted.Results:①There were no statistically significant differences of clinical data between each case group and the control group (all P>0.05). ②Compared with the control group and low disease activity group, the LVGLS of medium and high disease activity groups decreased obviously (all P<0.05). ③The GWI and GCW of the medium and high disease activity groups were significantly lower than those of the control group (all P<0.05), and there were no statistically significant differences of GWW and GWE between the case groups and the control group (all P>0.05). The mid-segment MWI, apical MWI and CW of the medium and high disease activity case groups, and the mid-segment CW of the medium disease activity case group were lower than those of the control group (all P<0.05). ④In the case group, GWI, GCW and LVEF were significantly and positively correlated ( rs1=0.253, P=0.008; rs2=0.261, P=0.024), and were significantly negatively correlated with LVGLS ( rs1=-0.525, P<0.001; rs2=0.455, P<0.001). There were no significant correlations between myocardial work parameters and DAS28 score (all P>0.05). Conclusions:PSL can early reflect to the impaired cardiac function of RA patients with moderate and high disease activity, and provide a new imaging method for clinical evaluation of the cardiac function of patients.