Evaluation of exercise on left ventricular function in patients with slow coronary flow by excercise-stress echocardiography

Abstract

Objective \nTo evaluate the role of treadmill exercise-stress echocardiography in the assessment of left ventricular (LV) function in patients with slow coronary flow (SCF), and discuss the possible mechanism of SCF. \n \n \nMethods \nForty-six patients with diagnosis of SCF were enrolled as SCF group. Forty age and sex matched adults were included as control group. All subjects had underwent clinical evaluation and exercise stress echocardiography. LV diastolic and systolic functions were assessed by conventional echocardiography, tissue Doppler imaging and two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography at rest and during exercise. \n \n \nResults \n①LV function in patients with SCF at rest: LV peak systolic longitudinal strain (LS) was lower in patients with SCF than that in controls (P 0.05). Early diastolic mitral annulus velocity (Mitral e′) and the ratio between the early mitral inflow velocity and Mitral e′(Mitral E/e′) were significantly decreased in SCF group(all P 0.05). Compared with control group, ΔLS and ΔMitral e′ were significantly higher in SCF group (all P<0.05). \n \n \nConclusions \nLV systolic and diastolic function in patients with SCF are impaired at rest. LV systolic and diastolic function recover in patients with SCF during exercise. \n \n \nKey words: \nEchocardiography, stress;\xa0Slow coronary flow;\xa0Ventricular function, left