Correlations between left ventricle ejection fraction, global longitudinal strain by two-dimensional speckle tracking and pulse wave velocity in coronary artery disease

Abstract

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is one of the main cause responsible for mortality in the world, representing 47% of all deaths in women and 39% of all deaths in men in Europe. Atherosclerosis is the paramount corolary of CVD. There is a close interaction between arterial stiffness and atherosclerosis. The risk scores utilised on a large scale are not entirely predictive for incidence of CVD. Severe coronary artery disease (CAD) is known to lead to left ventricular (LV) dysfunction. Because LV ejection fraction (LVEF) is usually within the normal range in early stages, a more sensitive index for early-stage LV dysfunction is of great importance. Studies proved that global longitudinal strain (GLS) could detect modifications in the earliest stages. Considering their non-invasiveness, a noninvasive assessment of both myocardial and peripheral vessels through GLS and pulse wave velocity (PWV) may become a useful standard tool for early detection of CVD before development of clinical manifestations. This study aimed to establish the link between the severity of CAD, LVEF, GLS and arterial stiffness (PWV). We observed that LVEF is correlated with GLS and that GLS correlates with severity of CAD and also significantly with PWV.