Value of Speckle Tracking Echocardiography Combined with Stress Echocardiography in Predicting Surgical Outcome of Severe Aortic Regurgitation with Markedly Reduced Left Ventricular Function

Quan Li^1,2,3,†, Wuxu Zuo^1,2,3,†, Yu Liu^1,2,3,†, Beiqi Chen^1,2,3, Yuanfeng Wu^1,2,3, Lili Dong^1,2,3,*, Xianhong Shu^1,2,3,*

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¹ Department of Echocardiography, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, 200032 Shanghai, China

² Shanghai Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, 200032 Shanghai, China

³ Shanghai Institute of Medical Imaging, 200032 Shanghai, China

^*Correspondence: dong.lili@zs-hospital.sh.cn (Lili Dong); shu.xianhong@zs-hospital.sh.cn (Xianhong Shu)
^†These authors contributed equally.

Rev. Cardiovasc. Med. 2023, 24(4), 114; https://doi.org/10.31083/j.rcm2404114

Submitted: 29 October 2022 | Revised: 1 December 2022 | Accepted: 19 December 2022 | Published: 17 April 2023

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Insight into Cardiac Strain Imaging)

This is an open access article under the CC BY 4.0 license.

Abstract

Background: Predicting outcomes of surgical aortic valve replacement (AVR) in patients with chronic severe aortic regurgitation (AR) and markedly reduced left ventricular (LV) function remains a challenge. This study aimed to explore the preoperative echocardiographic index that could predict the recovery of LV systolic function after surgery in patients with chronic severe AR and reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). Methods: The study group consisted of 50 patients diagnosed with chronic severe AR ( $>$ 6 months) and significantly reduced LVEF (18~35%, average 26.2 $\pm{}$ 5.3%). Low-dose dobutamine stress echocardiography (DSE) was performed before surgery. Only patients with an absolute increase in LVEF $\geq$ 8% during DSE were referred for surgical AVR. During following up (over six months to one year after surgery), the patients were divided into two groups by postoperative LVEF ( $>$ or $\leq$ 40%). DSE- and speckle tracking echocardiography (STE)-derived LV functional parameters were compared between groups to identify predictors of post-operative improvement in LVEF. Results: A total of 38 patients underwent AVR. One patient died before discharge. Post-surgical LV size and LVEF improved markedly after surgery in all patients (n = 37). Pre-surgical LV end-systolic diameter, baseline global longitudinal strain (GLS) and peak GLS were better in the group with LVEF $>$ 40% (n = 18; p $<$ 0.05, t test). Baseline GLS and peak GLS correlated moderately with post-surgery LVEF (R = –0.581, p $<$ 0.001; R = –0.596, p $<$ 0.001; respectively). Logistic regression analysis demonstrated baseline GLS and peak GLS were the independent predictors of post-surgery improvement of LVEF. Peak GLS had the highest prediction value (area under the curve = 0.895, sensitivity and specificity: 89.5% and 77.8%, respectively), with a cutoff value of –9.4%. Conclusions: This study shows that STE combined with DSE can provide sensitive quantitative indices for predicting improvement of LV systolic function after AVR in patients with chronic severe AR and significantly decreased LVEF.

Keywords

speckle tracking echocardiography

stress echocardiography

aortic regurgitation

left ventricular systolic function

LVEF

longitudinal strain

Funding

20204Y0345/Name of Scientific Research Project of Shanghai Health Commission

Figures

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Rev. Cardiovasc. Med. Print ISSN 1530-6550 Electronic ISSN 2153-8174