Study on chronic high altitude heart disease of heart structure and function with 3.0 T cardiac magnetic resonance imaging

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Objective To investigate the changes of cardiac structure and function in patients with chronic high altitude heart disease(HAHD) by 3.0 T MR and to explore the effect of chronic hypoxia on the structure and function of the heart. Methods December 2012 to December 2014 20 cases of patients with chronic HAHD and 20 gender, age, altitude of residence matched healthy volunteers (control group) were collected for cardiac MRI scan. Using cine MR imaging post-processing software measurement of left and right ventricular end diastolic volume, left and right ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), ventricular wall thickness, pulmonary artery and aortic root diameter, ventricular septal thickness were measured, two independent samples t test was used to compare chronic HAHD group and normal control group of cardiac structure and function. Results Chronic HAHD group diastolic anterior wall of right ventricle, interventricular septum, pulmonary artery respectively,right ventricular end diastolic dimension, left ventricular end diastolic dimension, left ventricular end systolic dimensionlic were (9.1±1.9),(11.7±3.0), (31.0±5.3),(76.4±11.5),(81.9±10.3),(62.8±10.8) mm and normal control group respectively (3.9±0.6), (8.1±1.7),(25.2±2.5),(66.9±11.6),(72.0±12.3),(41.1±16.2) mm, compared with normal control group the chronic HAHD group significantly increased. the difference was statistically significant(t= 11.312, 4.688, 4.418, 2.582, 36.874, 4.996,P<0.01). Chronic HAHD group right ventricular end diastolic volume, right ventricular end systolic volume, cardiac output, stroke volume respectively (77.0 ± 34.1) ml, (37.4±15.1) ml,(4.8±1.4) L/min, (64.8±16.4) L/min, the control group were (39.2±14.3) ml, (20.0±7.5) ml, (3.1 ± 0.6) L/min, (45.1 ± 8.3) L/min, compared with normal control group the chronic HAHD groups increased ,the difference was statistically significant (t=5.457, 27.933, 5.223, 4.800, P<0.01). Conclusion Cardiac MR technology can accurately evaluate the heart structure and function in patients with chronic HAHD, especially for the evaluation of right heart. Key words: Altitude sickness; Heart diseases; Magnetic resonance imaging