Assessment of Left Atrial Function in Patients With Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy by Speckle Tracking Echocardiography

Objective: To evaluate left atrial systolic and diastolic function in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy(HCM) by speckle tracking echocardiography(STE). Methods: Our work included 2 groups as HCM group, n=25 patients and Control group, n=20 healthy volunteers. The systolic, early and late diastolic(SRs, SRe,SRa) peak strain rates of left atrial middle segments were analyzed by Philip Qlab 7.0 in STE. The maximal and minimum left atrial volume(LAVmax and LAVmin), left atrial P volume(LAVp), left atrial active ejection fraction(LAAEF) and the left atrial passive ejection fraction(LAPEF) were examined by Simpson's method. Results: Compared with Control group, HCM group showed decreased mSRs, mSRe and mSRa in left atrial middle segments, and increased mSRa, P0.05 respectively. Compared with Control group, HCM group presented significantly increased LAVmax, LAVmin, LAVp and LAAEF, while decreased LAPEF, P0.05 respectively. Conclusion: STE may impersonality and noninvasively assess the left atrial function in HCM patients, and therefore, provide the evidence for evaluating left ventricular function.