Assessment of left ventricular regional function in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy with quantitative tissue velocity imaging

Objective To assess left ventricular systolic and diastolic functions in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) using quantitative tissue velocity imaging (QTVI). Methods Off line profiles of the left ventricular regional systolic and diastolic velocity along long axis in 24 HCM patients and 22 healthy subjects were analyzed by QTVI. Regional systolic (Vs), early diastolic (Ve) and end diastolic (Va) velocities were measured at each segment of ventricular basal, middle and apical levels, and Ve/Va ratio, myocardial velocity gradient (MVG) were calculated. Results Compared with healthy subjects, patients with HCM showed lower Vs, Ve, Ve/Va and MVG, while Va showed no statistic difference between two groups. Middle segment of posterior ventricular septum and lateral corresponding segment ratio was lower than control group. Vs and Ve of middle segment of posterior ventricular septum showed negative correlation with their thickness. Conclusion There are significant differences between regional left ventricular function of patients with HCM and healthy subjects. These differences occur in systole and diastole, more striking in the hypertrophied wall, and also occur in nonhypertrophied segments. There is a negative correlation between systolic or diastolic function and thickness in hypertrophic segment.