Maria Grazia Delle Donne

Early Left Ventricular Mechanics Abnormalities in Prehypertension: A Two-Dimensional Strain Echocardiography Study

BACKGROUND Prehypertension predicts established hypertension. In this study, the aim was to analyze left ventricular (LV) mechanics in borderline prehypertensive (pre-HT) and hypertensive (HT) subjects through two-dimensional (2D)-strain echocardiography and then evaluate possible relations between cardiac parameters and insulin metabolism (homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA(IR)). METHODS Seventy-four consecutive newly diagnosed, untreated HT were divided, on the basis of their office blood pressure (BP) measurements, confirmed by ambulatory BP monitoring (ABPM), in 41 borderline pre-HT (ABPM: 122.5 +/- 6.7/76.2 +/- 5.2 mm Hg) and 33 never-treated mild HT (ABPM: 138.3 +/- 7.3/87.6 +/- 7.1 mm Hg). Thirty-three healthy normotensive (NT) controls (ABPM: 114.8 +/- 6.3/73.1 +/- 6.1 mm Hg) (P < 0.0001) were also studied (NT). All subjects performed 2D color Doppler and pulsed-wave tissue Doppler imaging (PW-TDI). RESULTS Left ventricular mass (LVM) was significantly higher in pre-HT (39.2 +/- 8.7 g/m(2.7)) and in HT (43.6 +/- 8.5 g/m(2.7)) compared with NT (30.9 +/- 7.4 g/m(2.7)) (P < 0.0001). A mild LV diastolic dysfunction was found both with Doppler mitral flow velocity and PW-TDI at mitral annulus level analysis. Longitudinal 2D strain in pre-HT (-18.9% +/- 3.4) and in HT (-18.0% +/- 3.3) was significantly lower than in NT (-23.9% +/- 3.0) (P < 0.002). These LV abnormalities were associated with systolic ABPM, LVM, and HOMA(IR). CONCLUSIONS Early abnormalities of LV longitudinal systolic deformation were found both in pre-HT and HT, together with a mild LV diastolic dysfunction. In both groups this early cardiac systolic and diastolic dysfunction is associated to insulin resistance, systolic pressure load, and cardiac remodeling.

Severe Aortic Stenosis and Myocardial Function Diagnostic and Prognostic Usefulness of Ultrasonic Integrated Backscatter Analysis

Background—The aim of this study was to assess the myocardial reflectivity pattern in severe aortic valve stenosis through the use of integrated backscatter (IBS) analysis. Patients with aortic stenosis (AS) were carefully selected in the Department of Cardiology. Methods and Results—Thirty-five subjects (AS: valve orifice ≤1 cm2; 12 female; mean age, 71.8±6.2 years) and 25 healthy subjects were studied. All subjects of the study had conventional 2D-Doppler echocardiography and IBS. Backscatter signal was sampled at the septum and posterior wall levels. Patients with AS were divided into 2 groups: 16 patients with initial signs of congestive heart failure and a depressed left ventricular systolic function (DSF) (ejection fraction [EF] range, 35% to 50%) and 19 asymptomatic patients with normal left ventricular systolic function (NSF) (EF >50%). Myocardial echo intensity (pericardium related) was significantly higher at the septum and posterior wall levels in DSF than in NSF and in control subjects. IBS variation, as an expression of variation of the signal, appeared to be significantly lower in AS with DSF than in NSF and in control subjects, at both the septum and posterior wall levels. Patients with DSF underwent aortic valve replacement, and, during surgical intervention, a septal myocardial biopsy was made for evaluation of myocardium/fibrosis ratio. Abnormally increased echo intensity was detected in left ventricular pressure overload by severe aortic stenosis and correlated with increase of myocardial collagen content (operating biopsy). Conclusions—One year after aortic valve replacement, we observed a significant reduction of left ventricular mass, and, only if pericardial indexed IBS value (reduction of interstitial fibrosis) decreased, it was possible to observe an improvement of EF and of IBS variation.

Effects of Bariatric Surgery on Early Myocardial Alterations in Adult Severely Obese Subjects

Objective: Aim of this study was to investigate the effect of weight loss on structural and functional myocardial alterations in severely obese subjects treated with bariatric surgery. Patients and Methods: Thirteen severely obese patients (2 males and 11 females) were enrolled in the study. All subjects underwent conventional 2D color Doppler echocardiography. The new ultrasonic techniques used were: (a) integrated backscatter for the analysis of myocardial reflectivity, referred to pericardial interface as expression of myocardial structure (increase in collagen content) and of cyclic variation index as expression of intrinsic myocardial contractility and (b) color Doppler myocardial imaging (CDMI) for the analysis of strain and strain rate (myocardial deformability). All subjects underwent bariatric surgery and were resubmitted to echocardiographic and biochemical examination 6–24 months after surgery. Results: The main finding of the present study was a quite complete normalization of myocardial functional and structural alterations after weight loss. In particular, the cyclic variation index at septum level improved from 14.6 ± 7.0 before to 25.7 ± 11.2 (means ± SD) after surgery (controls: 36.2 ± 9.1). Mean reflectivity at septum level significantly decreased from 55.8 ± 9.5 to 46.5 ± 8.8 (controls: 43.0 ± 8.0). Also, the strain at septum level significantly improved after surgery (from –11.9 ± 3.2 to –20.4 ± 5.3; controls: –23.4 ± 9). Conclusion: This study establishes: (a) the utility of new ultrasonic techniques to detect very early structural and functional myocardial alterations in severely obese patients, and (b) the regression of these subclinical abnormalities after weight loss achieved by bariatric surgery.

Improvement of intrinsic myocardial contractility and cardiac fibrosis degree in acromegalic patients treated with somatostatin analogues: a prospective study

Background Acromegalic patients have increased left ventricular (LV) mass (M) and impaired diastolic function.

The Incremental Value of Valvuloarterial Impedance in Evaluating the Results of Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation in Symptomatic Aortic Stenosis

BACKGROUND Valvuloarterial impedance (Z(va)) can estimate the global hemodynamic load on the left ventricle in patients with severe aortic stenosis better than the standard indexes, as shown in previous studies. In fact, Z(va) can estimate global left ventricular hemodynamic load as the sum of valvular and vascular loads. The aim of this study was to evaluate the acute improvement of left ventricular performance in patients with symptomatic aortic stenosis after transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) using Z(va). METHODS One hundred two consecutive patients who underwent TAVI were submitted to transthoracic echocardiography immediately before and after aortic valve implantation, together with invasive hemodynamic measurements. RESULTS After TAVI, immediate reductions in the transaortic peak pressure gradient (P < .0001) and mean pressure gradient (P < .0001) and a concomitant increase in aortic valve area (P < .0001) were seen on echocardiography. Left ventricular ejection fraction significantly increased immediately after TAVI in all patients (from 48.9 ± 10.3% to 52.1 ± 11.1%, P < .0001). Regarding global left ventricular hemodynamic load, acute and significant reductions in end-systolic meridional wall stress (from 82.7 ± 42.6 to 57.8 ± 30.1 kdyne · cm(-2), P < .0001) and in Z(va) (from 6.81 ± 2.51 to 5.38 ± 2.13 mm Hg · mL(-1) · m(-2), P < .0001) were observed. Furthermore, patients who died at 6-month follow-up had higher baseline Z(va) values compared with those who were alive at 6-month follow-up (8.13 ± 3.08 vs 6.41 ± 2.12 mm Hg · mL(-1) · m(-2), P < .004). CONCLUSIONS TAVI is characterized by an immediate enhancement of global left ventricular hemodynamic performance, as demonstrated by an acute Z(va) improvement, even in patients with low baseline ejection fractions.

Advantages of Real Time Three‐Dimensional Echocardiography in the Assessment of Right Ventricular Volumes and Function in Patients with Pulmonary Hypertension Compared with Conventional Two‐Dimensional Echocardiography

In recent years, right ventricular (RV) function has acquired greater relevance as a clinical and prognostic marker in many physiopathological conditions. The study aims to point out the value of real time three‐dimensional echocardiography (RT3DE) and tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) in the evaluation of patients affected by pulmonary hypertension (PH), compared with conventional two‐dimensional (2D) echocardiography.

New Echocardiographic Techniques in the Evaluation of Left Ventricular Mechanics in Subclinical Thyroid Dysfunction

The new echocardiographic techniques for the study of physiopathological intramyocardial phenomena include video densitometry (VD), integrated backscatter (IBS), and color Doppler myocardial imaging (CDMI). Being more independent from cardiac load and from rotational and translational heart motion, these new sensible, noninvasive techniques such as CDMI and IBS show a real incremental value in comparison with conventional echocardiography and allow to detect subtle functional and textural abnormalities of intramural myocardium, partially undetectable by conventional two‐dimensional Doppler echocardiography. Subclinical thyroid dysfunction (STD), both in its hypo‐ and hyperthyroidism form, has a relatively high prevalence in general population (9–15% with a lower percentage of adult males), hence it could be very useful to study more deeply heart involvement in these physiopathological conditions and understand the complex relationship between thyroid and heart. The use of these new ultrasonic techniques in subclinical hypothyroidism helps to detect the early simultaneous involvement of both cardiac cycle phases, which causes a decrease of intramyocardial contractility and an impairment of both active and passive phases of diastole. In subclinical hyperthyroidism, these new ultrasonic techniques permitted to discover more complex and different early cardiac abnormalities of both systolic and diastolic phases. (ECHOCARDIOGRAPHY, Volume 26, July 2009)

Prevalence of left ventricular hypertrophy and determinants of left ventricular mass in obese women.

BackgroundObesity is frequently associated with left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH), a condition leading to an increased cardiovascular risk.AimThe objective of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of LVH in a cohort of obese women, with a main focus on the anthropometric and clinical parameters that are associated with an increased left ventricular mass (LVM).MethodsThe study was performed in 166 obese female patients. LVM was measured by echocardiography. The influence of various parameters on LVM was assessed by multivariate analysis.ResultsThe prevalence of LVH was drastically different depending on the type of indexed LVM, being 19.9% when the LVM was indexed for body surface area and 72.3% when indexed for height. Age, duration of obesity, weight, waist-to-hip ratio, pulse pressure and hypertension retained an independent direct correlation with the LVM, explaining 39.6% of the overall LVM variability. Among the parameters of the metabolic syndrome, the increase in blood pressure was the main determinant of increased LVM.ConclusionsBy using allometric indexation of LVM for height, the results of our study indicate a high prevalence of LVH in a cohort of obese women. Hypertension, pulse pressure, age, duration of obesity, bodyweight and fat distribution, expressed as waist-to-hip ratio, predict 40% of LVM variation.

New echocardiographic techniques in the evaluation of left ventricular function in obesity

Obesity has reached global epidemic proportions and is associated with numerous comorbidities, including major cardiovascular (CV) diseases.

Dysfunction of a 21-mm aortic bioprosthesis treated with percutaneous implantation of a CoreValve prosthesis.

Percutaneous aortic valve replacement is an emerging alternative for high surgical risk patients with native aortic valve stenosis. We describe for the first time a valve-in-valve procedure with a CoreValve prosthesis for the treatment of a severely stenotic degenerated aortic bioprosthesis.