Tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion in chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension before and after pulmonary thromboendarterectomy.

Background: Right ventricular function is impaired in chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH). Tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE) and right ventricular fractional area change (RVFAC) have been shown to help assess right ventricular function in pulmonary hypertension. Our goal was to (1) assess TAPSE and RVFAC before and after PTE, and (2) assess correlation of these variables with right heart catheterization data and PVR.

Right ventricular strain before and after pulmonary thromboendarterectomy in patients with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension.

Background: Right ventricular (RV) function is significantly impaired in patients with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH). Two-dimensional speckle tracking RV strain and strain rate are novel methods to assess regional RV systolic function in CTEPH patients before and after pulmonary thromboendarterectomy (PTE). Our goal was to (1) assess baseline longitudinal strain and strain rate of the basal RV free wall in CTEPH and (2) measure early changes in RV strain and strain rate after PTE.

Assessment of left atrial volume before and after pulmonary thromboendarterectomy in chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension.

Background: Impaired left ventricular diastolic filling is common in chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH), and recent studies support left ventricular underfilling as a cause. To investigate this further, we assessed left atrial volume index (LAVI) in patients with CTEPH before and after pulmonary thromboendarterectomy (PTE).

Methods: Forty-eight consecutive CTEPH patients had pre- & post-PTE echocardiograms and right heart catheterizations.

Utility of right ventricular Tei index in the noninvasive evaluation of chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension before and after pulmonary thromboendarterectomy.

Objectives: We evaluated the utility of tissue Doppler-derived right ventricular (RV) Tei (or myocardial performance) index in patients with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) before and after pulmonary thromboendarterectomy (PTE) and assessed correlations with mean pulmonary artery pressure (mPAP), pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR), and cardiac output (CO).

Background: The assessment of RV function is limited with 2-dimensional echocardiography. The RV Tei index, an indicator of RV myocardial performance, is derived by Doppler measurements and is unaffected by RV geometry.

Abnormal left ventricular diastolic filling in chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension: true diastolic dysfunction or left ventricular underfilling?

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate the cause of abnormal left ventricular (LV) Doppler diastolic filling characteristics in chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH).

Background: In CTEPH, LV diastolic function often appears abnormal. It is unclear whether this "impaired relaxation" (E View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Assessment of diastolic function with Doppler tissue imaging after cardiac surgery: effect of the "postoperative septum" in on-pump and off-pump procedures.

Doppler tissue imaging (DTI) of mitral annular velocity is useful in assessing diastolic function. Most centers record at the septal or lateral segments of the annulus. Cardiopulmonary bypass produces changes in the motion of the interventricular septum.

Usefulness of compensatory hyperkinesis in the noninfarcted left ventricular wall in separating single from multivessel coronary artery disease in patients with initial ST-elevation acute myocardial infarction.

We assessed the contractility of the contralateral wall on 2-dimensional echocardiography in 50 patients with an initial ST-elevation acute myocardial infarction who underwent coronary angiography. Compensatory hyperkinesis, which we defined as a fractional thickening of >/=60% in the contralateral wall, was a strong predictor of single-vessel coronary artery disease, with a positive predictive value of 85%.