2D-speckle tracking echocardiography contributes to early identification of impaired left ventricular myocardial function in patients with chronic kidney disease.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Our aim was to investigate left ventricular (LV) physiology and short-axis and long-axis regional LV myocardial function throughout the cardiac cycle with 2D-speckle tracking echocardiography (2D-STE) in patients with chronic kidney disease.

METHODS

The study population consisted of 40 maintenance hemodialysis patients (hemodialysis group), 20 uremic patients hospitalized for creation of primary arteriovenous fistula (nondialysis group), and a control group of 20 healthy volunteers. LV regional longitudinal, circumferential and radial peak systolic velocity (Vs); early diastolic velocity (Ve); and peak systolic strain (ε) were measured with 2D-STE.

RESULTS

Increased LV wall thickness and a decreased E/A ratio were found in the nondialysis and hemodialysis groups as compared to the control group, but there was no difference between the 2 study groups. Longitudinal Vs and Ve of the LV basal segment and middle segment in hemodialysis group and nondialysis group were all slower than those in the control group, and Vs in the nondialysis group was slower than that of the hemodialysis group. Circumferential and radial Vs and Ve were not different among the 3 groups, except that the radial Vs of LV basal segment was markedly decreased in the nondialysis group. Longitudinal peak systolic strain in the hemodialysis and nondialysis groups were both decreased as compared to the control group. Circumferential and radial peak systolic strain was decreased only in the nondialysis group.

CONCLUSIONS

2D-STE may be used to identify early abnormalities in patients with chronic kidney disease who have preserved LV ejection fraction. LV regional function appeared to be better in the hemodialysis group than that in the nondialysis group.