Myocardial dysfunction identified by three-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography in type 2 diabetes patients relates to complications of microangiopathy.

Background: The clinical effect of diabetic microangiopathy on left ventricular (LV) function is still uncertain. The purpose of this study was to assess the relation between diabetic microvascular complications and comprehensive myocardial deformation measurements using three-dimensional (3D) speckle tracking echocardiography.

Methods: Seventy-seven asymptomatic patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) and 35 age-matched healthy control subjects underwent 3D echocardiography.

Subendocardial Systolic Dysfunction in Asymptomatic Normotensive Diabetic Patients.

Background: It remains uncertain whether diabetes itself causes specific echocardiographic features of myocardial morphology and function in the absence of hypertension or ischemic heart disease. The purpose of the present study was to determine the characteristics of pure diabetic cardiomyopathy-related echocardiographic morphology and function using layer-by-layer evaluation with myocardial strain echocardiography.

Methods And Results: We enrolled 104 patients with poorly controlled type 2 diabetes mellitus (mean HbA1c level, 10%) with (n=74) or without (n=40) hypertension and 24 age- and sex-matched healthy volunteers.

Application of 3-dimensional speckle tracking imaging to the assessment of right ventricular regional deformation.

Background: The aim of this study was to carry out 3-dimensional speckle tracking imaging (3DSTI) of the right ventricle (RV) and evaluate RV regional wall deformation.

Methods And Results: 3DSTI of the RV was performed in 35 normal subjects, 8 patients with arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy, and 8 patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension. Peak systolic area change ratio and regional contraction timing relative to global systolic time (time to peak strain/time to end-systole×100) were measured in each segment.

Transmural compensation of myocardial deformation to preserve left ventricular ejection performance in chronic aortic regurgitation.

Background: In patients with chronic aortic regurgitation (AR), systolic wall stress and volume overload affects left ventricular (LV) systolic function and remodeling. The aim of this study was to assess transmural rearrangements of myocardial deformation to preserve LV ejection performances using speckle-tracking echocardiography in patients with chronic AR.

Methods: Ninety patients with AR were enrolled.

Effects of linear ablation at the isthmus between the tricuspid annulus and inferior vena cava for atrial flutter on autonomic nervous activity: analysis of heart rate variability.

Heart rate is largely affected by the autonomic nervous system. However, little is known about the anatomic pathway of autonomic nerve fibers innervating the sinus node. The present study: (1) evaluates the effects of cavotricuspid isthmus ablation for common atrial flutter (AFL) on autonomic nervous function by using heart rate variability analysis, and (2) investigates the distribution of autonomic nerve pathways innervating the sinus node.

Atrial components contributing to pseudo r' deflection in lead V1 in slow/fast atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia: analysis of the atrial activation sequence by basket catheter isochronal mapping.

Electrocardiographic recognition of the P' wave during tachycardia is very useful in the diagnosis of supraventricular tachycardias. In slow/fast (S/F) atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia (AVNRT), no discrete P' waves are observed on ECG and pseudo r' deflection in lead V1 (pseudo r') is commonly recognized. However, the atrial components that contribute to the genesis of pseudo r' in lead V1 have not been described and this study aimed to clarify them by analysis of the whole activation sequence of the right atrium using Basket catheter isochronal mapping.