Longitudinal global and regional left ventricular function in patients with hypertensive disease (tissue Doppler echocardiography data)

Impulse tissue doppler study was carried out in 154 patients with hypertensive disease (age 35-60 years) and 39 practically healthy volunteers (mean age 43.4+/-5.5 years). According to left ventricular geometry the following groups of patients were distinguished (after A.Ganau): with normal geometry (n=47), with concentric remodeling (n=12), with concentric hypertrophy (n=53), and with eccentric hypertrophy (n=42). Tissue doppler spectrum was registered from mitral annulus and 15 left ventricular segments. The following characteristics were obtained: in each annular spectrum - maximal velocities of peaks s(m), e(m), a(m), ratio e(m)/a(m), isovolumic relaxation time (ivrt) and their average values (from 6 measurements); in each left ventricular segmental spectrum - maximal velocities of waves s, e, a, ratio e/a and segmental ivrt. Compared with healthy persons patients with hypertension had lowered longitudinal global systolic function of the left ventricle. Patients with concentric left ventricular hypertrophy had least values of e(m), e(m)/a(m), ivrt(m) and greatest number of dysfunctional (e/a<1.0 and ivrt>90 ms) segments. Some hypertensive patients with normal values of transmitral blood flow had signs of segmental diastolic dysfunction. Among patients with normal left ventricular geometry isolated segmental diastolic dysfunction was revealed according to e/a in 12 of 20 (60%), according to ivrt in 11 of 22 (50%). All patients with concentric and eccentric left ventricular hypertrophy had segmental diastolic dysfunction. Thus impulse tissue doppler study is indicated to patients with hypertension and normal parameters of transmitral flow for assessment of longitudinal segmental diastolic left ventricular function.