Three-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography in evaluating left ventricular function in patients with triple vessel coronary artery disease

Abstract

AIM Using three-dimensional ultrasound speckle tracking echocardiography (3D-STE) to evaluate left ventricular (LV) function in patients with triple vessel coronary artery disease(TVD) without myocardial infarction. METHODS Sixty patients with TVD without myocardial infarction were divided into two groups according to the results of coronary angiography. Group B (n=31)：50%≤the stenosis rate of all triple vessel coronary artery＜75%; Group C (n=29)：the stenosis rate of all triple vessel coronary artery≥75%. Thirty healthy subjects were recruited as the group A. We measured LV end-diastolic and end-systolic volume (LVEDV, LVESV) and LV ejection fraction (LVEF) using real-time dynamic three-dimensional echocardiography. The 3D-STE parameters of LV included global longitudinal strain (GLS), global area strain (GAS), global radial strain (GRS) and global circumferential strain (GCS). The correlation between 3D-STE parameters and NT-proBNP were analyzed by Pearson linear correlation analysis. RESULTS In group C, LVEDV and LVESV were significantly increased (all P＜0.05), while LVEF, GLS, GRS, GCS and GAS were significantly decreased compared with groups A and B (all P＜0.05). In groups A and B, there were no statistical differences in LVEDV, LVESV and LVEF. However, GLS, GCS and GAS were lower in group B than in group A (all P＜0.05). The correlation analysis showed a negative correlation between the absolute values of GLS, GRS, GCS, GAS and NT-proBNP in group C (r=-0.866、-0.587、-0.428、-0.600，P＜0.001、P=0.001、P=0.020、P=0.010). CONCLUSIONS Our study shows that 3D-STE can evaluate the LV function in patients with triple vessel coronary artery disease without myocardial infarction through multiple strain parameters.