The value of 2D speckle-tracking strain echocardiography in evaluating the relationship between carotid elasticity and left ventricular systolic function in patients with diabetic nephropathy

Xiuyun Li,Hongju Kou,Pengfei Wang,Chunpeng Zou,Yanyan Dong,Maosheng Xu,Liang Wang,Chao Zheng

doi:10.1186/s13244-020-00897-0

Abstract

ObjectiveTo investigate the relationship between the elasticity of the carotid artery and the LV (left ventricle) systolic function in patients with diabetic nephropathy (DN) by using two-dimensional speckle-tracking strain echocardiography (2D-STE).MethodsDN patients (n = 108) and control subjects (n = 112), all of whom underwent echocardiography and carotid ultrasound. Analysis of LV GLS (global longitudinal strain) from the apical two-chamber (2C), three-chamber (3C), and four-chamber (4C) views. Meanwhile, the circumferential strain (CS) of the carotid artery was obtained from the view of the short-axis right common carotid artery. The differences between the two groups were compared, and a correlation analysis between CS and GLS was performed.ResultsThe 4CGLS, 2CGLS, 3CGLS, and CS of the DN group were significantly lower at significant levels in contrast to the control group (p < 0.05). There was a significantly positive correlation of CS with 4CGLS, 2CGLS, and 3CGLS in all subjects (r = 0.809, p = 0.000; r = 0.830, p = 0.000; r = 0.830, p = 0.000, respectively).Conclusion2D-STE is a relatively new technique for assessing the mechanical characteristics of the carotid artery in patients with DN. Reduced values of CS correlate with reduced LV systolic function as evaluated by strain measurements, which can predict the risk of systolic dysfunction of LV.

Highlights

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a serious threat to human health and life
diabetic nephropathy (DN) patients have a high risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), which is identified as the leading reason of death in these patients
There are several methods of evaluating arterial stiffness, such as vascular catheterization, ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging [10], and arterial tonometry [11]. Two-dimensional speckle-tracking strain echocardiography (2D-STE) is a useful technology that has been developed in recent years [12, 13]

Summary

Introduction

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a serious threat to human health and life. It can lead to a variety of complications [1–3]. 2D-STE (two-dimensional speckle-tracking strain echocardiography) is a useful technology that has been developed in recent years [12, 13] It is an accurate, angle-independent, and noninvasive method for evaluating cardiac function [14]. It can be used to obtain myocardial deformation by tracking intramyocardial speckles, calculating the strain (S) and strain rate (Sr) of the myocardium [15] This strain-based imaging technique has been shown to have clinical utility in a variety of settings [16]. 2D-STE can assess the impairment of left atrial phasic function in patients with heart failure with mid-range ejection fraction (EF) [20] At present, this technique is used to evaluate the elasticity of the carotid artery, and the obtained strain has a good correlation with carotid elasticity [21]. The study aimed to examine the association between carotid elasticity and LV systolic function in DN patients using 2D-STE

Methods

Results

Conclusion