Study on right ventricular function of patients with rheumatic heart disease using tissue Doppler imaging-derived Tei index and its effect factors

Objective To investigate the value of Tei index derived from pulsed wave-tissue Doppler imaging (PW-TDI) in evaluating right ventricular function of patients with rheumatic heart disease (RHD). Methods A total of 36 patients with RHD and 20 healthy volunteers were involved in this study. Some traditional ultrasonic parameters of right heart, time parameters and TDI-derived Tei Index were measured and compared. PW-TDI data were acquired from tricuspid annular on apical four-chamber view. Results ① Group A (n=16) had characteristic echocardiographic appearance of right ventricular dysfunction, while a normal right cardiac performance was judged in group B. However, the TDI-derived Tei Index of group A and B were different significantly compared with the healthy volunteers (P0.01). ② In volunteers, Tei index was independent on age and heart rate (P0.05);but in patients with RHD, Tei Index correlated positively with age (P0.05), and was independent on heart rate (P0.05). Conclusion Tei index measured by PW-TDI acquired from tricuspid annular is a sensitive indicator of right ventricular global function.