The Diagnostic Value of 2D- Speckle Tracking Echocardiography for Identifying Subclinical Ventricular Dysfunction in Subjects with Early Repolarization Pattern

Abstract

Introduction: Early repolarization pattern (ERP) has been known a benign electrocardiographic variant for decades. However, it can exist a silent substrate for arrhytmic events in accordance with the previous studies which have shown that there has been evidence of morphological changes in left ventricle (LV) in subjects with ERP. Despite structural changes in ERP subjects, it has not exactly known that whether a change in functional parameters of LV occur in these population. The aim of our study was to investigate LV functional parameters in subjects with ERP by the use of 2D- speckle tracking echocardiography (2D-STE). Method: In this study, subjects with ERP (n= 50) and subjects without ERP (n= 50) were recruited between 01.04.2018 and 01.09.2018. For each case, 2D- STE evaluation was performed by the same cardiologist. Results: Mean LV global longitudinal strain (GLS) and GLS in all apical chamber views, longitudinal peak systolic strain rate (SRS) at A3C, early diastolic strain rate (SRE) at A3C and late diastolic strain rate (SRA) at A3C in the ERP subjects were significantly lower than those in the subjects without ERP. Furthermore, LV basal segment circumferential SRS and SRE were significantly lower in ERP subjects compared to subjects without ERP. Conclusion: Our study suggests that ERP can be more associated with impaired LV longitudinal function than LV circumferential function. In addition, both LV inferolateral region and LV basal segment can be more affected functionally in ERP subjects.