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Comparison of echocardiographic parameters to assess right ventricular function in pulmonary hypertension

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Abstract

Although measurement of right ventricular ejection fraction (RVEF) may be relevant for evaluation of therapeutic efficacy and/or prognosis in patients with pulmonary hypertension, RVEF obtained by echocardiography has limited accuracy. In contrast, radionuclide and/or magnetic resonance imaging can measure RVEF more reliably. In this study, we investigated the relationship between RVEF measured by radionuclide angiography and the echocardiographic parameters that are recommended by the American Society of Echocardiography as representative of right heart function. There were 23 study participants with pulmonary hypertension who underwent radionuclide angiography and 2-dimensional and Doppler echocardiography (n = 30 measurements). RVEF measured by radionuclide angiography correlated with right ventricular Tei index (RV Tei index) measured by Doppler echocardiography (r = −0.601, P < 0.0005). Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that an RV Tei index cut-off value of 0.371 was the best of predictor of RVEF ≤35% (area under the curve = 0.768, sensitivity = 0.857, selectivity = 0.667). Multiple regression analysis showed that RVEF was correlated with the RV Tei index, and this association was independent of other echocardiographic right ventricular function parameters (r = −0.644, P < 0.005). The RV Tei index measured by Doppler echocardiography may be an acceptable surrogate marker of RVEF in patients with pulmonary hypertension.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Dokkyo Medical University School of Medicine, 880 Kitakobayashi, Mibu, Tochigi, 321-0293, Japan

    Hirohisa Amano, Shichiro Abe, Suguru Hirose, Ryutaro Waku, Taiki Masuyama, Masashi Sakuma, Shigeru Toyoda, Teruo Inoue & Chuwa Tei

  2. The Department of Cardiology, Koshigaya Hospital, Dokkyo Medical University School of Medicine, Koshigaya, Japan

    Isao Taguchi

  3. Waon Therapy Research Institute, Tokyo, Japan

    Chuwa Tei

Authors
  1. Hirohisa Amano
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  2. Shichiro Abe
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  3. Suguru Hirose
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  4. Ryutaro Waku
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  5. Taiki Masuyama
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  6. Masashi Sakuma
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  7. Shigeru Toyoda
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  8. Isao Taguchi
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  9. Teruo Inoue
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  10. Chuwa Tei
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Correspondence to Shichiro Abe.

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Amano, H., Abe, S., Hirose, S. et al. Comparison of echocardiographic parameters to assess right ventricular function in pulmonary hypertension. Heart Vessels 32, 1214–1219 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00380-017-0991-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00380-017-0991-6

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