Assessment Of Biventricular And Aortic Function In Arterial Systemic Hypertension By Speckle Tracking Echocardiography

Background: The purpose of the present study was to assess whether systemic arterial hypertension is associated with abnormal right ventricular (RV) structure and function as assessed by three-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography and how those changes are related to left ventricular (LV) strain, left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) and aortic (Ao) function. Methods: We examined 115 hypertensive (mean age, 65±16 years; 52% male) and 115 healthy adults (mean age, 68±13 years; 54% male). Patients were divided into two groups: patients with LVH (Group I, LVMI>115g/m 2 men, LVMI>95g/m 2 women) and patients without LVH (group II). LV longitudinal (LS), circumferential, radial and area (GAS) strains were calculated by three-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography (3DSTE). RV free-wall longitudinal strain (LS) was determined by 3DSTE. Aortic (Ao) distensibility and stiffness index (SI) were calculated using accepted formulae. The corrected aortic strain (Ao-S) by two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography was calculated as the global aortic strain /pulse pressure. Data analysis was performed offline (GE EchoPAC). Results: Overall, Ao-SI was increased (r=0.74, p=0.003) and Ao-S was decreased (r=0.79, p=0.002) in hypertensive patients compared with controls. Ao-SI had a negative correlation with Ao-S (r=-0.76, p<0.001). Ao-S correlated with LV and RV longitudinal strain (r=0.62,p=0.02, and r=0.58,p<0.05, respectively) and LV and RV area strain (r=0.66,p=<0.01, and r=0.53,p<0.05, respectively). RV-LS and LV-GAS were lower in Group 1 patients compared to Group 2 (r=0.81, p<0.001), and lower in Group 2 patients compared to controls (r=0.59, p=0.02). There was a positive correlation between LV and RV LS (r=0.52, p<0.05). RV-LS was independently associated with Ao-S (β=0.37, p=0.01), LV-GAS (β=0.32, p=0.027) and LV-LS (β=0.26, p=0.034) in the whole hypertensive population. Conclusions: In systemic hypertension there is a complex interaction between LV strain, RV strain and Ao strain. Reduced RV strain can occur even in the absence of LV hypertrophy.