5 research outputs found
Doppler tissue imaging unmasks right ventricular function abnormalities in HIV-infected patients
Background: We sought to investigate right ventricular (RV) function with Doppler tissue
imaging (DTI) in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients receiving highly-active antiretroviral treatment, without any heart-related symptoms.
Methods: We studied 38 asymptomatic HIV patients (aged 44.5 ± 9.2 years, 22 of them men)
and 25 age-matched and sex-matched controls. All subjects underwent conventional and DTI
estimation of left ventricular (LV) systolic and diastolic function, measuring peak systolic and
diastolic myocardial velocities at the mitral annulus (Sm, Em, Am). Two-dimensional (2-D)
echocardiographic study of the right ventricle (RV) was performed from the four-chamber view, and
RV end-diastolic dimensions were measured. DTI recordings from the RV free wall at the tricuspid
annulus were used to determine systolic (SmRV) and diastolic function (EmRV and AmRV).
Results: HIV-infected patients compared to controls exhibited significantly lower peak systolic
velocities at the septal-SmIVS (7.9 ± 1.3 vs 9.1 ± 1.4 cm/s, p = 0.002) and lateral mitral
annulus - SmLAT (9.8 ± 1.7 vs 11.2 ± 1.3 cm/s, p = 0.025); no difference was observed
regarding conventional 2-D examination of LV systolic and diastolic function and DTI-derived Em and Am. No significant difference occurred between HIV patients and controls
regarding RV end-diastolic dimensions and pulmonary artery systolic pressure. However,
SmRV (13.8 ± 1.6 vs 14.9 ± 2.2 cm/s, p = 0.040), EmRV (11.6 ± 3 vs 13.5 ± 2.6 cm/s, p = 0.028)
and AmRV (10.9 ± 2.5 vs 13.8 ± 4 cm/s, p = 0.003) were significantly reduced in HIV
patients as compared to controls.
Conclusions: DTI unmasks subtle and otherwise undetectable abnormalities of the longitudinal
LV systolic function and both RV systolic and diastolic function, in asymptomatic HIV
patients receiving highly-active antiretroviral treatment. (Cardiol J 2010; 17, 6: 587-593