Evaluation of Echocardiographic Parameters for Left Ventricle Systolic and Diastolic Dysfunctioni in Patients with Liver Cirrhosis

Abstract

The prevalence of cirrhotic cardiomyopathy is an issue hard to estimate, both nationally and worldwide. This clinical research sets out a more precise evaluation of systolic and diastolic functions in cirrhotic patients using proven parameters - the TEI Index- to estimate systolic and diastolic dysfunction and the E/Vp ratio for diastolic dysfunction. These parameters were compared with classic parameters typically employed. The study population was represented by 70 patients diagnosed with liver cirrhosis. Results showed increased sensitivity of the TEI Index - in detecting systolic dysfunction in cirrhotic patients, with an increased accuracy compared to left ventricular ejection fraction. Regarding the parameters for diastolic dysfunction, it was proved that the E/Vp ratio had an increased specificity in detecting diastolic dysfunction due to cirrhotic cardiomyopathy. In conclusion, the hypothesis that patients with liver cirrhosis could benefit from an improvement in diagnostic sensitivity of cirrhotic cardiomyopathy using the two suggested parameters was confirmed in our study. And more important, a significant positive correlation between the severity of diastolic dysfunction and the severity of liver disease was found.