Regional myocardial function in healthy adults: assessment through tissue Doppler echocardiography

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To characterize left ventricular regional myocardial function through tissue Doppler echocardiography in healthy adults and to assess the influence of aging in this function. METHODS: In 45 healthy volunteers divided in two groups (< 45 and > 45 years old) we assessed longitudinal and radial regional function (velocities, times intervals and velocity-time integrals). Data were compared in each group and between groups. RESULTS: Systolic function: a) longitudinal: higher velocities and integrals in lateral and inferior walls and in basal segments, with a trend to reduction of these parameters with aging; b) radial: higher basal velocities, no significant change with aging. Diastolic function: a) longitudinal: higher velocities in lateral and inferior walls and in basal segments. With aging e and e/a velocities and integrals decreased, a increased and older individuals showed lower percentage of segments with e/a >1; b) radial: aging was associated with lower e and higher a velocities. CONCLUSION: 1) Tissue Doppler echocardiography detects physiological differences between regional myocardial function of different ventricular segments, in velocities, times intervals and integrals, with physiological heterogeneity and asynchrony; 2) Many of these data are age dependent; 3) Our data contribute to define normal values, and may become useful when compared with data from populations with heart diseases

The Effect of a Hyperdynamic Circulation on Tissue Doppler Values: A Simulation in Young Adults during Exercise

“…This may not be the case, however, when there is regional disease in the basal myocardium. Cardim et al [ 4 ], however, found that tissue Doppler velocities were higher in the lateral and inferior basal segments than in the septal and lateral segments for both systolic and diastolic function. The systolic and diastolic velocities in our study were higher than those reported in [ 4 – 6 ].…”

“…Cardim et al [ 4 ], however, found that tissue Doppler velocities were higher in the lateral and inferior basal segments than in the septal and lateral segments for both systolic and diastolic function. The systolic and diastolic velocities in our study were higher than those reported in [ 4 – 6 ]. This could be due to the younger age of our cohort, and TDI values have been reported to decrease with age [ 6 ].…”

“…Therefore the ventricular walls have a physiological heterogeneity and the velocities cannot be used interchangeably. Cardim described that the difference between the two segments occurred due to the “sandwich” position of the septum in between ventricles, the septum having a greater physiological stress than the lateral segments, the septalcytoarchitecture being rich in circumferential fibres, the degrees of interstitial fibrosis, and the proportion of myocyte/adrenergic receptors in comparison to the lateral wall [ 4 ]. Our study found significant differences between the lateral and inferior segments for both systolic and diastolic velocities.…”