Mechanical dispersion is a superior echocardiographic feature to predict exercise capacity in preclinical and overt heart failure with preserved ejection fraction.

Background: Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction (HFpEF) is a syndrome characterized by different degrees of exercise intolerance, which leads to poor quality of life and prognosis. Recently, the European score (HFA-PEFF) was proposed to standardize the diagnosis of HFpEF. Even though Global Longitudinal Strain (GLS) is a component of HFA-PEFF, the role of other strain parameters, such as Mechanical Dispersion (MD), has yet to be studied.