Features of left ventricular myocardial deformation in female patients of reproductive age with connective tissue dysplasia

Abstract

Features of longitudinal left ventricular (LV) myocardial deformation in female patients of reproductive age with undifferentiated connective tissue dysplasia (UCTD) have not been specifically studied before.Aim. To study the features of longitudinal LV myocardial deformation using speckle tracking echocardiography in female patients of reproductive age with UCTD.Material and Methods. A noninvasive assessment of systolic LV myocardial deformation in the longitudinal direction using echocardiography was performed in 20 young adult female patients with UCTD (the average age was 23.5 ± 2.6 years). A control group composed of 34 apparently healthy women of comparable age (the average age was 24.8 ± 2.4 years) with no signs of UCTD were examined.Results. The indices of longitudinal systolic myocardial deformation in female patients with UCTD practically did not differ from the control group. Significant differences were found only for the median segment: excessive shortening of the interventricular septum and a decrease in deformation in the lateral wall of the left ventricle. Segments 8–10 (mid anteroseptal, mid inferolateral, and mid inferior) and all apical LV segments (13–17: apical anterior, apical septal, apical inferior, and apical lateral) were subjected to maximum deformation, p < 0.05.Conclusions. In patients of reproductive age with UCTD, a significant decrease in global longitudinal systolic LV deformity was recorded in the basal segment of the interventricular septum and the apical segment of the anterior LV wall. Segments 8–10 (median anterior-septum, median inferior-septum, and lower) and all apical LV segments (13–17: apical anterior, apical septum, apical lower, and apical lateral) were subjected to the greatest deformation in the examined patients.