Effect of cilnidipine on left ventricular diastolic function in hypertensive patients as assessed by pulsed Doppler echocardiography and pulsed tissue Doppler imaging

The purpose of the present study was to examine the mechanisms of improvement in left ventricular (LV) diastolic function in hypertensive patients treated with cilnidipine, a new and unique calcium antagonist that has both L-type and N-type voltage-dependent calcium channel blocking actions, using pulsed Doppler echocardiography and pulsed tissue Doppler imaging. The study comprised 35 untreated patients with essential hypertension (19 men and 16 women; mean age 65+/-10 years). The peak early diastolic and atrial systolic transmitral flow velocities (E and A, respectively) and their ratio (E/A), and the peak early diastolic and atrial systolic motion velocities (Ew and Aw, respectively) of the LV posterior wall and their ratio (Ew/Aw) were determined in all patients before and after 1, 3 and 6 months on cilnidipine (10 mg/day). One month: Systolic and diastolic blood pressures were significantly decreased. E and E/A were significantly increased, whereas there were no significant changes in Ew and Ew/Aw. Three months: Ew and Ew/Aw were significantly increased compared to those before and 1 month after cilnidipine. Six months: E and E/A were significantly increased compared with before and 3 months after cilnidipine, and Ew and Ew/Aw were significantly increased compared with before cilnidipine. Moreover, the LV mass index was significantly decreased compared to that before cilnidipine. In summary, changes in LV diastolic performance in patients with essential hypertension following cilnidipine treatment were biphasic with an initial increase in early diastolic transmitral flow velocity and a later increase in early diastolic LV wall motion velocity. The initial and later changes can be related to an acute change in afterload and a later improvement in LV relaxation.     

脉冲组织多普勒成像技术检测糖尿病患者左室舒张功能

目的应用脉冲组织多普勒成像技术(PWDTI)检测糖尿病(DM)组和健康对照组左室舒张功能,并与传统二尖瓣血流频谱E/A比较。方法用PWDTI在心尖左室长轴水平二尖瓣环后壁处测量舒张期E峰速度(Ve)、A峰速度(Va),计算Ve/Va比值;在同一切面用彩色多普勒血流显像技术(CDFI)测量二尖瓣口舒张期血流频谱E峰、A峰值,计算E/A比值,并计算E/Ve比值。DM组根据尿蛋白阴性或阳性分为两亚组,并根据糖化血红蛋白(HbA1c)浓度≤或>7%分为两亚组。结果DM组和健康对照组Ve/Va比值[(0.87±0.37)、(1.21±0.4)]以及E/Ve比值[(9.24±4.47)、(6.03±1.72)]差异有统计学意义(P<0.05)。DM组尿蛋白阴性、阳性亚组的E/Ve比值分别为(7.36±2.46)、(10.5±2.49),DM组HbA1c≤7%和>7%亚组E/A比值分别为(0.64±0.24)、(1.32±0.22),两亚组比较均差异有统计学意义(P<0.05)。结论PWDTI观测DM左室舒张功能较传统二尖瓣口血流频谱E/A具有明显的优越性,两者结合起来能更好地反映左室舒张功能。     

Modern evaluation of left ventricular diastolic function using Doppler echocardiography

The evaluation of left ventricular (LV) diastolic function is an essential component of the echocardiographic examination for dyspneic patients with impaired or preserved LV systolic function. Doppler echocardiography in combination with two-dimensional echocardiographic findings can assist the diagnosis of underlying cardiac dysfunction, give an estimate of LV filling pressures, guide heart failure treatment, and provide important prognostic information. This article reviews the essentials of modern Doppler assessment of diastolic function and highlights recent updates, areas of controversy, and future applications.     

Pulsed Doppler echocardiographic indices of left ventricular diastolic function in normal subjects.

To establish the normal limits for various pulsed Doppler echocardiographic indices of left ventricular diastolic function, 92 healthy volunteers aged from 5 to 75 years were prospectively studied. The influence of various variables including age, gender, body surface area, fractional shortening, and left ventricular mass on these parameters was also assessed. Mean (2SD) values for 15 direct and 11 derived parameters were analyzed from transmitral inflow velocity waveform. No statistically significant differences were observed between males and females for any of these parameters. On stepwise multivariate linear regression analysis, age was found to be an independent strong determinant (p less than 0.001) of peak velocity of early diastolic filling wave, area of atrial filling period, deceleration slope, normalized peak filling rate, and early filling fraction. There was a significant correlation between heart rate and time to peak early diastolic velocity, total diastolic time period, early diastolic period, atrial filling period, and atrial filling fraction. It was further observed that a significant correlation (p less than 0.001) persisted between both age and heart rate with area of early filling period, one-third filling area, one-half filling area, ratio of early to atrial peak velocity and area, atrial filling fraction, and one-third filling fraction. None of the parameters were found to correlate with fractional shortening or left ventricular mass. Thus an effort was made to establish normal limits for various Doppler-derived parameters in healthy volunteers for future comparison in diseased states.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Noninvasive assessment of left ventricular diastolic function by pulsed Doppler echocardiography in young alcoholics

M-mode echo recordings of the left ventricle and left ventricular inflow Doppler velocimetry were performed in 34 male alcoholics below age 45 and in 25 nonalcoholic male controls. Groups were well matched for age, body surface area and heart rate. Systolic arterial pressure was slightly higher in alcoholics and none of the subjects studied had cardiorespiratory symptoms. Data from imaging echocardiography (M-mode echo) were comparable in both groups, and fractional shortening, reflecting left ventricular systolic performance, was identical. Left ventricular inflow Doppler velocimetry showed quite different results in alcoholics and control subjects for the early diastolic flow velocity peak (0.52 +/- 0.12 versus 0.61 +/- 0.11 m/s; p less than 0.01) and in peak flow velocities in the atrial contraction phase (0.32 +/- 0.11 versus 0.27 +/- 0.06 m/s; p less than 0.05). The lower ratio of both velocities in patients (1.88 +/- 0.95 versus 2.34 +/- 0.60 m/s; p less than 0.05) suggests that left ventricular distensibility is altered in alcoholics. In addition, isovolumetric relaxation period, reflecting an early diastolic event, was slightly but significantly prolonged in alcoholic subjects (68 +/- 14 versus 56 +/- 10 ms; p less than 0.001). It is concluded that diastolic performance is altered in young alcoholics without cardiorespiratory symptoms showing normal systolic performance, and that these alterations may be an early marker of alcoholic cardiomyopathy.     

Assessment of left ventricular diastolic function with color Doppler flow-comparison with pulsed Doppler and radionuclide angiography

To determine the relations among color Doppler echocardiographic, pulsed Doppler echocardiographic and radionuclide angiographic fractions of left ventricular filling, 37 patients were studied using the three techniques. Favorable correlations of the filling fractions were found between color Doppler (flow area/left ventricular cavity area) and radionuclide angiography both during early diastole (r = 0.94) and atrial systole (r = 0.90). The above results were better than those obtained from pulsed Doppler (E area/Total, A area/Total) and radionuclide angiography: during early diastole (r = 0.78) and atrial systole (r = 0.76). Color Doppler can be used as a new method for assessing the pattern of left ventricular filling.     

Diagnostic value of left ventricular diastolic function using pulsed Doppler echocardiography in patients with ischemic heart disease]

Transesophageal atrial pacing was performed in 54 patients (mean age 50.0 +/- 6.8 years) to diagnose coronary heart disease (CHD). ECG was recorded in 12 leads during the test. Echocardiography was used to assess local contractile disorders. The diastolic function of the left ventricle was examined by pulsed Doppler echocardiography in the postpacing period. Thirty eight patients were found to have altered Doppler parameters for transmitral blood flow in the postpacing period as compared to the resting period. Sixteen patients without CHD displayed no changes in the left ventricular diastolic function in the postpacing period. Two types of transmitral blood flow disorders were identified in CHD patients in the postpacing period. The so-called "pseudonormal" type of transmitral blood flow was typical of patients with the most severe contractile impairments and grave course. Abnormalities in local contractility and signs of left ventricular diastolic dysfunction were ascertained to be a sensitive marker for myocardial ischemia.     

Doppler echocardiography for assessing left ventricular diastolic function

During the last 2 years, the use of pulsed Doppler echocardiography for assessing left ventricular diastolic function has received increased attention. This method is based on measurements derived from a waveform that reflects the velocity of blood flow through the mitral valve during ventricular filling. The technique is particularly attractive because it is noninvasive and relatively simple. Technically satisfactory recordings can be obtained in most patients. In a relatively short period, numerous studies using the Doppler technique to assess diastolic function in children and adults with cardiac disease have been published. This review appraises the current status of applications of Doppler echocardiography and critically examines the strengths, limitations, and ultimate potentials of this new method.     

Blood pressure and left ventricular geometric pattern determine diastolic function in hypertensive myocardial hypertrophy

Abnormal left ventricular (LV) diastolic relaxation is an early sign of hypertensive heart disease. Whether LV diastolic dysfunction is caused directly by raised blood pressure, or by structural changes related to LV hypertrophy remains controversial. We examined 115 hypertensive patients with LV hypertrophy, and two age- and gender-matched groups (38 hypertensive patients without LV hypertrophy and 38 normotensive subjects) by echocardiography to assess determinants of LV diastolic function, and the relation between diastolic function and LV geometric pattern. Diastolic function was evaluated by the E/A-ratio, E wave deceleration time (E-dec), isovolumic relaxation time (IVRT), and the atrioventricular plane displacement method (AV-LA/AV-mean). A multivariate analysis (including gender, age and body mass index) shows diastolic function to be inversely related to blood pressure, LV wall thickness and LV mass, but not to LV end diastolic diameter. The E/A-ratio generally showed the strongest relations. Only the E/A-ratio and AV-LA/AV-mean were related to heart rate. By stepwise regression analysis, age was the strongest determinant for the E/A-ratio, E-dec and AV-LA/AV-mean, followed by systolic blood pressure, heart rate and LV wall thickness. For IVRT, however, LV wall thickness appeared strongest, followed by systolic blood pressure and age. In conclusion, blood pressure and LV wall thickness both have independent influence on LV diastolic function. Age and blood pressure are the most important factors to determine the E/A-ratio and E-dec, whereas LV geometry and blood pressure are most important when IVRT is used. AV-LA/AV-mean may not be useful in hypertensive LV hypertrophy.     

Myocardial hypertrophy and left ventricular diastolic function in hypertensive patients: an echo Doppler evaluation

The presence and the characteristics of left ventricular diastolic dysfunction in mild to moderate systemic hypertension were evaluated in 13 normotensive subjects (Group I), in 12 hypertensive subjects without (Group II) and 28 with (Group III) LV hypertrophy who underwent two-dimensional Doppler echocardiographic study. Among Group III patients, a subset (n = 12) with a dilated left ventricle was identified. Diastolic filling parameters were impaired in Group III patients while, in Group II, they were intermediate between Groups I and III. In all Group III patients normalized peak filling rate (nPFR) correlated directly with mean velocity of circumferential fibre shortening (mVCF) (r = 0.55; P less than 0.001) and inversely with left ventricular mass index (LVM) (r = -0.60; P less than 0.001), left ventricular end-diastolic diameter (LVIDd) (r = -0.63; P less than 0.001), LV peak systolic stress (LVWST) (r = -0.64; P less than 0.01). A separate analysis showed that these correlations were also present in patients without left ventricular dilation; in the subset with left ventricular dilation nPFR correlated only with LVWST (r = -0.73; P less than 0.01), but not with LVM, mVCF, LVIDd. Thus, left ventricular hypertrophy is one of the major determinants of diastolic dysfunction in hypertensives; other factors influence nPFR values in hypertensive patients when the left ventricle dilates.     

Determination of left ventricular diastolic function with pulsed Doppler echocardiography: comparison with M-mode echocardiography

Posters

Determination of left ventricular diastolic function with pulsed Doppler echocardiography: comparison with M-mode echocardiography     

Noninvasive assessment of left ventricular diastolic function by pulsed Doppler echocardiography in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is a primary myocardial disease in which symptoms may frequently result from impaired left ventricular relaxation, filling and compliance. In the present investigation, Doppler echocardiography was utilized to measure transmitral flow velocity and thereby assess left ventricular diastolic performance noninvasively in a group of 111 patients representative of the broad clinical spectrum of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. In patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, all Doppler indexes of diastolic relaxation and filling differed significantly (p less than 0.001) from those obtained in 86 control subjects without heart disease, namely, prolongation of isovolumic relaxation (94 +/- 24 versus 78 +/- 12 ms) and of the early diastolic peak of flow velocity (244 +/- 55 versus 220 +/- 28 ms), as well as slower deceleration (3.4 +/- 1.4 versus 4.9 +/- 1.3 m/s2) and reduced maximal flow velocity in early diastole (0.5 +/- 0.2 versus 0.6 +/- 0.1 m/s). As an apparent compensation for impaired relaxation and early diastolic filling, the atrial contribution to left ventricular filling was increased, as shown by increased late diastolic flow velocity (0.4 +/- 0.3 versus 0.3 +/- 0.1 m/s) and reduced ratio of maximal flow velocity in early diastole to that in late diastole (1.4 +/- 0.8 versus 2.1 +/- 0.9). The vast majority of patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (91 [82%] of 111) showed evidence of impaired left ventricular diastolic performance, as assessed from the Doppler waveform. Abnormal Doppler diastolic indexes were identified with similar frequency in patients with (78%) or without (83%) left ventricular outflow obstruction, as well as in patients with (84%) or without (80%) cardiac symptoms. However, patients with nonobstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy showed more severe alterations in the Doppler indexes of diastolic function than did patients with obstruction. Thus, abnormal diastolic performance as assessed by Doppler echocardiography was apparent in the vast majority of the study patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, independent of the presence or absence of cardiac symptoms or a subaortic pressure gradient. The high frequency with which diastolic abnormalities are identified in asymptomatic patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy suggests that impaired diastolic performance may be present at a time in the natural history of the disease when functional limitation is not yet evident.     

Determinants of Doppler indexes of left ventricular diastolic function in normal subjects (the Framingham Heart Study).

Normative Doppler values and determinants of left ventricular (LV) diastolic function in healthy subjects have not been fully elucidated. Subjects from the Framingham Heart Study were examined to describe reference values and determinants of echocardiographic Doppler indexes of diastolic function. One hundred twenty-seven randomly selected, rigorously defined, normal subjects, approximately evenly distributed by sex and age from the third through the eighth decades were studied by Doppler echocardiography. Normative values for 7 frequently used Doppler indexes of LV diastolic function are presented. Doppler indexes of LV diastolic function change dramatically with age; the peak velocity of early filling divided by late filling (peak velocity E/A) ranges from a mean of 2.08 +/- 0.55 for subjects in their third decade to 0.84 +/- 0.29 for those in their eighth decade. A peak velocity E/A ratio less than 1 is abnormal in subjects aged less than 40 years, but occurs in most subjects aged greater than or equal to 70 years. The high correlations between age and Doppler indexes of LV diastolic function are not greatly attenuated after adjustment for other clinical parameters associated with diastolic function; the multivariate partial correlation coefficient between age and peak velocity E/A is -0.80 (p less than 0.0001). Heart rate, PR interval, LV systolic function, sex and systolic blood pressure are minor determinants of Doppler indexes of diastolic function. Body mass index, left atrial diameter, and LV wall thickness, internal dimension and mass have little or no association with Doppler indexes in healthy subjects.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Doppler characterization of left ventricular diastolic function in cardiac amyloidosis

Sixty-four patients with primary systemic amyloidosis-53 with two-dimensional echocardiographic features of cardiac involvement (Group I) and 11 without cardiac involvement (Group II)--underwent Doppler echocardiographic assessment of left ventricular diastolic function. Pulsed wave Doppler recordings of left ventricular inflow velocities and pulmonary vein flow velocities with respiratory monitoring in these patients were compared with findings in a normal group. Patients in Group I showed striking abnormalities of left ventricular diastolic filling when classified into subgroups by mean left ventricular wall thickness: early greater than 12 but less than 15 mm; advanced greater than or equal to 15 mm. In early amyloidosis, relaxation was abnormal, with decreased peak early velocity (75 +/- 20 versus 86 +/- 16 cm/s; p less than 0.01), increased late velocity (71 +/- 22 versus 56 +/- 13 cm/s; p less than 0.01), decreased early to late velocity ratio (1.2 +/- 0.6 versus 1.6 +/- 0.5; p less than 0.01) and prolonged isovolumic relaxation time (87 +/- 15 versus 73 +/- 13 ms; p less than 0.01) compared with normal values. In advanced amyloidosis, there was a restrictive filling pattern with a markedly shortened deceleration time (148 +/- 50 versus 199 +/- 32 ms; p less than 0.001), decreased pulmonary vein peak systolic flow velocity (34 +/- 16 versus 54 +/- 12 cm/s; p less than 0.01) and increased diastolic flow velocity (55 +/- 20 versus 44 +/- 12 cm/s; p less than 0.01) compared with normal values. Group and the subgroup with early amyloidosis had similar flow velocity patterns. Thus, this study documents that in cardiac amyloidosis, a spectrum of diastolic filling abnormalities exists; the restrictive filling pattern is seen only in the advanced stages.     

Doppler echocardiography in the evaluation of left ventricular diastolic function

The examination of diastolic filling velocities by Doppler echocardiography has provided increasing insights into the understanding of left ventricular diastolic performance in health and disease. However, several recent studies have emphasized the importance of a wide variety of physiologic variables, including heart rate, respiration, age, and loading conditions that need to be considered as potential confounding factors in the interpretation of these filling patterns. Despite this, Doppler echocardiographic assessment has been useful in the evaluation and prognostication of a variety of restrictive cardiomyopathies. Furthermore, the study of Doppler diastolic filling velocities has improved our understanding of common cardiac diseases, including hypertensive and ischemic myocardial disease. Further enhancement of our understanding of left ventricular diastolic filling in health and disease will depend on more precise elucidation of the mechanisms responsible for diastolic function.     

Reproducibility of Doppler echocardiographic measurements of left ventricular diastolic function

The present investigation was undertaken in 12 normal subjectsto determine the magnitude of technical and biologic variabilityof six previously validated Doppler indexes of diastolic function.Variability due to the reader was small for each of the sixDoppler indexes. Variability due to the technician was largerthan for the reader, and day-to-day variability was larger thanvariability due to either the reader or techinician for thegreat majority of the comparisions (i.e., 21 of 24). Four Dopplerindexes assessing early diastolic events (isovolumic relaxation,duration of the early diastolic peak of flow-velocity, rateof decrease of flow-velocity in early diastole, and maximalearly diastolic flow-velocity) did not show statistically significantchanges due to day-to-day variability. The two Doppler indexesassessing late diastolic events [maximal late diastolic (atrial)flow-velocity, and the ratio between maximal early and lateflow-velocity] showed greater change on a day-to-day basis (P<0.05). In conclusion, Doppler indexes that represent a measure of isovolumicrelaxation and the early filling phases of diastole showed smallvariability. Indexes that measure the late filling phase ofdiastole, such as maximal late (atrial) diastolic flow-velocityand the ratio between early and late diastolic flow-velocities,showed relatively large day-to-day variability; therefore, serialchanges in the atrial contribution to ventircular filling identifiedby these indexes should probably be interpreted with some caution.