Strain and strain rate echocardiography variables in adult Wilson's disease patients: A speckle tracking echocardiography study.

Purpose: Although the hepatic and neurological consequences of Wilson's disease (WD) have been investigated in detail, its cardiac involvement remains little studied. Our aim was to investigate potential cardiac differences in strain (ST) and strain rate (STR) echocardiography in adult WD patients compared with controls.

Methods: We included 30 patients with WD and a control group of 26 sex and age matched healthy adults. None of the subjects in either group had cardiac complaint. WD patients were clinically evaluated by a neurologist and undergone cranial magnetic resonance imaging. They were then divided into two groups according to the presence (NW) or absence (non-NW) of neurological involvement. Standard and advanced speckle tracking echocardiographic evaluations were performed in each group according to guidelines.

Results: Left ventricular (LV) systolic and diastolic diameters and wall thickness measurements were within normal limits and did not differ significantly between the groups (P > .05). Neither atrial peak longitudinal and circumferential ST variables nor LV global and longitudinal ST and STR variables showed significant differences between the NW, the non-NW, and the control group (P > .05).

Conclusion: Our echocardiographic study showed no detectable difference between adult WD patients with or without neurological involvement and healthy subjects.