Patterns of left ventricular hypertrophy in chronic kidney disease: an echocardiographic evaluation.

BACKGROUND: We evaluated the chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients having different degree of uremia for the prevalence of Left Ventricular Hypertrophy (LVH), different patterns of left Ventricular Hypertrophy by echocardiographic variables to define the most sensitive and powerful predictor of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and premature morbidity and mortality. METHODS: We used clinical and biochemical data from the prospective study done by us to evaluate "The Echocardiographic assessment of cardiac functions in patients with chronic kidney disease". The diagnosis of CKD was made on the basis of serum creatinine (sCr) concentration of more than 1.5 mg/dl, persistent and with no evidence of recovery over a period of 3 months. Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) was calculated by the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) equation and cut-off for CKD was taken to be < 60 ml/min/1.73 m2 as per existing guidelines. The study population consisted of a total of 75 subjects divided into three groups of 25 subjects each, all between the age of 20-65 yrs: GROUP A: Healthy normal controls (sCr < 1.5 mg/dl); GROUP B: Patients with mild to moderate CKD (sCr 1.5 - 6.0 mg/dl); GROUP C: Patients with severe CKD (sCr > 6.0 mg/dl). RESULTS: A progressive rise in prevalence of LVH was observed with the severity of kidney disease from 64% (mild/ moderate CKD group) to 96% (severe CKD group) and higher prevalence of LVH in females than males in the severe CKD group. The mean LVMI in both the groups of CKD was significantly higher than the healthy controls (76.62 +/- 10.97). Also, mean LVMI in severe CKD (139.23 +/- 17.47) patients was significantly higher than in mild/moderate CKD (114.91 +/- 15.20) patients. The prevalence of concentric remodeling in both the CKD groups was alike (20%). While that of concentric hypertrophy in severe CKD patients (68%) was significantly higher than in mild/moderate CKD group (40%) (p < 0.05), but no significant difference was observed for eccentric pattern of hypertrophy between the two CKD groups. This suggests that concentric hypertrophy is more prevalent in CKD patients. CONCLUSIONS: The mean left ventricular mass index (LVMI) showed a proportionate increase with the severity of renal failure and a progressive rise with increase in severity of disease. Patients of CKD groups revealed occurrence of concentric remodeling which is a predictor of high vulnerability for progressing into concentric and eccentric hypertrophy. Hence early medical intervention may reverse the concentric remodeling, thereby preventing the advancement to concentric or eccentric LVH.

Reduced incidence of left ventricular thrombi with intravenous streptokinase in acute anterior myocardial infarction: prospective evaluation by cross-sectional echocardiography.

Forty-five consecutive patients with transmural anterior acute myocardial infarction were prospectively studied to determine the effect of intravenous streptokinase on the incidence of left ventricular thrombi. Three patients died. The remaining patients were divided into 2 groups. Group 1 patients (n = 22) received 750,000 units of intravenous streptokinase within 6 hours of onset of symptoms. Neither thrombolytic therapy or anticoagulants were administered to 18 patients in group 2. Cross-sectional echocardiography was performed 8 to 10 days following acute myocardial infarction to detect left ventricular thrombus. Technically satisfactory echocardiography was not possible in 2 patients. Apical akinesia or dyskinesia was observed in all patients. No patient in the treated group developed left ventricular thrombus compared with 8 of 18 (44.4%) in group 2 (P less than 0.05). One patient in the control group sustained an embolic cerebrovascular accident. Thus intravenous streptokinase significantly reduces the incidence of left ventricular thrombus formation in patients of transmural anterior acute myocardial infarction.