• Yingfeng Liu, Dawei Wang, Qigen Du, Guoying Che, Jiawei Tian, and Yanxin Su.
• Ultrasound Department, Second Affiliated Hospital, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China.
• J Ultrasound Med. 2016 Nov 1; 35 (11): 2333-2342.

ObjectivesTo investigate the value of 2-dimensional (2D) speckle-tracking echocardiography for assessing right ventricular (RV) systolic function in patients with chronic pulmonary heart disease (CPHD) and the correlation of its parameters with the right ventricular ejection fraction (RVEF) on cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).MethodsAccording to pulmonary arterial systolic pressure, 80 patients with CPHD and tricuspid regurgitation were divided into 2 groups: 42 with mild pulmonary hypertension (PH; 30-50 mm Hg) and 38 with moderate or severe PH (≥50 mm Hg); 41 control participants were recruited. All participants underwent 2D speckle-tracking echocardiography and cardiac MRI. The longitudinal peak systolic strain and longitudinal peak systolic strain rate were measured by echocardiography in each segment of the RV free wall and interventricular septum and compared with the RVEF on cardiac MRI.ResultsStrain values in all segments of the RV free wall and interventricular septum were lower in the mild PH group than the control group (P < .05). Strain rate values in the apical segment of the RV free wall and basal segment of the interventricular septum were lower in the mild PH group than the control group (P< .05). Strain and strain rate values in all segments of the RV free wall and interventricular septum were lower in the moderate or severe PH group than the control group (P < .05). Strain and strain rate values in all segments of the RV free wall and interventricular septum were lower in the moderate or severe PH group than the mild PH group (P< .05). Strain and strain rate values in all segments of the RV free wall and the interventricular septum correlated with the RVEF (P < .001).ConclusionsThe ability of speckle-tracking echocardiography to directly monitor RV myocardial function may allow early sensitive detection of subclinical myocardial dysfunction in patients with CPHD, with better risk stratification and timely institution of therapy.© 2016 by the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine.

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