(Circulation. 2001;103:1669.)
© 2001 American Heart Association, Inc.
Clinical Investigation and Reports |
From the Grown-Up Congenital Heart (GUCH) Unit, Middlesex Hospital (M.V., J.S., S.C.), and the Cardiothoracic Unit, Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Trust, and the Institute of Child Health (J.E.D., A.N.R.), London, UK.
Correspondence to Dr Michael Vogel, GUCH Unit, 5th Floor, Jules Thorn Building, The Middlesex Hospital, Mortimer St, London W1N 8AA, UK. E-mail drmichaelvogel{at}doctors.net.uk
| Abstract |
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Methods and ResultsSeventy-four patients (37 patients <18 and 37 >18 years old) who had had TOF repair at 4.0 years old (0.1 to 47 years old) were examined when they were 18.7 years old (1.7 to 61.1 years old), as were 112 control subjects with normal hearts. Regional function was evaluated with tissue Doppler imaging of the RV and left ventricular (LV) free wall and the septum. Myocardial velocities were sampled continuously from base to apex. Synchronous ECG was analyzed for QRS, QT, and JT duration and QRS, QT, and JT dispersion. All 74 TOF patients had normal LV myocardial velocities. Forty-eight patients (24 patients <18 and 24 >18 years old) had reversed myocardial velocities in diastole in the RV free wall, which were associated with reversed systolic myocardial velocities in 22 and additional reverse diastolic myocardial velocities in the septum in 19. Those 48 patients had a longer QRS duration (151±31 versus 124±27 ms) and greater QRS (47±18 versus 29±12 ms), QT (73±27 versus 52±22 ms), and JT (96±31 versus 67±35 ms) dispersion. Compared with normal control subjects, all 74 TOF patients had decreased systolic and diastolic myocardial velocities and a longer isovolumic relaxation time.
ConclusionsRV wall-motion abnormalities are a common finding late after TOF repair and are associated with repolarization-depolarization abnormalities. These data further underscore a likely mechanoelectrical interaction as an important part of the pathogenesis of RV disease in these patients.
Key Words: echocardiography imaging tetralogy of Fallot
| Introduction |
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| Methods |
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Echocardiography Technique
Tissue Doppler data were acquired transthoracically
at a frame rate between 96 and 132 Hz with a 2.5-MHz transducer
interfaced with a system V sector scanner (GE Vingmed). Imaging was
performed from an apical 4-chamber view. The myocardial velocities were
sampled continuously from base to apex in the free wall of the RV and
left ventricle (LV) and in the ventricular septum. Recordings were made
simultaneously with the ECG and phonocardiogram and were stored
digitally for offline analysis. Echopac software (GE Vingmed) was used
to analyze the stored myocardial Doppler data. The peak myocardial
velocities during systole (s wave), early diastole (e wave), and late
diastole (a wave) were measured at the base, middle, and apical
portions of the free walls of the RV and LV and the ventricular septum.
The isovolumic relaxation time was measured from the onset of the
second heart sound to the beginning of the myocardial e wave. A
rigorous definition of wall-motion abnormalities was used. Only those
areas showing complete reversal of systolic or diastolic velocity
vector were included. The direction of Doppler velocities was color
coded with red (flow toward the transducer) and blue (flow away from
the transducer) colors,6
which allows for easy recognition of direction of myocardial
velocities. Measurements of the myocardial velocities and the various
time intervals were performed on 3 consecutive heartbeats, and the
average of the 3 measurements was calculated. Pulsed Doppler studies of
the RVOT were performed to assess the systolic pressure gradient across
the RVOT and the presence and degree of pulmonary regurgitation. Mild
regurgitation was considered to be present if diastolic retrograde flow
could be detected under the pulmonary valve, moderate regurgitation if
the retrograde flow could be seen in the RV farther apically from the
pulmonary valve and in the pulmonary trunk, and severe regurgitation if
abnormal retrograde diastolic flow could also be detected in the branch
pulmonary
arteries.7
Electrocardiograms
All patients with TOF had a standard 12-lead ECG
performed on the day of the echocardiographic examination at a paper
speed of 25 mm/s. QT and QRS measurements were made manually as
previously described.2 The
end of the T wave was taken at its return to the T-p baseline. When U
waves were present, the end of the t wave was taken as the nadir
between T and U.3 Three
consecutive cycles were measured, and a mean value was calculated from
the 3 values. The JT interval was calculated by subtracting QRS from
QT. The QT/QRS/JT dispersion was defined as the difference between the
maximum and minimum QT/QRS/JT intervals in any of the 12 ECG leads. The
ECGs were evaluated by 1 person (J.S.) who was blinded to the results
of the tissue Doppler imaging.
The ECG data for the patients <18 and >18 years old were analyzed separately because of different normal values for QRS duration, depending on age.2 13
Statistical Analysis
Data obtained by tissue Doppler in the 74 patients
and the 112 control subjects and between patients with and without
regional wall-motion abnormalities were compared by unpaired
t test, with a value of
P<0.05 considered to represent
a significant difference. A
2 test was
performed to compare incidence of abnormalities of regional myocardial
velocities in patients with mild, moderate, and severe pulmonary
regurgitation and to compare surgical technique. A simple linear
regression analysis was performed to examine the relation between age
at time of examination and presence or absence of wall-motion
abnormalities.
| Results |
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Regional Function
All control subjects had the characteristic pattern of
myocardial velocities with an apically directed systolic velocity (s
wave) and an early (e-wave) and late (a-wave) diastolic velocity
directed toward the base of the heart, with a gradual velocity decrease
from base to apex
(Figure 1
). In contrast, reversed s-wave and/or e-wave
velocities
(Figures 2
and 3
) were detected in 48 of 74 patients (65%)
with TOF; they were present in 24 of 37 patients <18 years old and 24
of 37 patients >18 years old. Reversed systolic or diastolic
myocardial velocities were not present in the LV. Diastolic wall-motion
abnormalities were detected in the apex and the middle of the RV free
wall, extending to 37% (19% to 55%) of the total length of the RV
free wall, and reversed systolic myocardial velocities were found in a
similar location, extending to 35% (15% to 50%) of the RV free wall.
In 28 of 48 patients with reversed myocardial velocities, these were
present in both systole and diastole; 16 of 48 patients had isolated
diastolic wall-motion abnormalities, and 2 of 48 had isolated systolic
wall-motion abnormalities. In 16 of the 48 patients, reversed
myocardial velocities were found in >1 site in both the RV free wall
and the ventricular septum, whereas 2 patients had isolated reversed
myocardial velocities in the ventricular septum. Patients with systolic
wall-motion abnormalities had lower peak systolic velocities at the
base (6.3±1.9 versus 7.6±2 cm/s,
P<0.02), middle (3.1±1.6
versus 4.6±1.6 cm/s,
P<0.001), and apex
(-1.9±0.8 versus 2.2±1 cm/s,
P<0.001) of the RV than those
with normal wall motion. Likewise, the peak e-wave velocities were
significantly lower in the middle (6.9±4.2 versus 5±2 cm/s,
P<0.01) and apex (-5.5±2
versus 3.3±1.5 cm/s, P<0.001)
of the RV in patients with diastolic regional wall-motion abnormalities
than in those with normal diastolic wall motion. There was no
correlation between age at time of examination and incidence of
wall-motion abnormalities.
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Correlation of Regional Function With
Hemodynamics
By Doppler criteria, severe pulmonary regurgitation was
present in 28 patients, moderate in 25, and mild in 21. Seventy-two
patients had a residual RVOT gradient of 23±15 mm Hg (10 to 80
mm Hg), and 2 had no gradient between the RV and the pulmonary trunk.
The incidence of reversed myocardial velocities was similar in those
with severe (21 of 28 patients, 78%), moderate (14 of 25 patients,
57%), and mild (10 of 21 patients, 48%) pulmonary regurgitation
(P<0.12, NS). We found no
influence of surgical technique on regional wall-motion abnormalities,
which were present in 27 of 45 patients (60%) with a transannular
patch, 9 of 17 (53%) with a subvalvar patch, and 3 of 8 (38%) who had
been repaired by atriotomy without RV patch
(P<0.69, NS). Two patients in
whom a monocusp valve had been implanted after removal of the stenotic
native pulmonary valve had wall-motion abnormalities, which were also
present in 1 of the 2 who had a pulmonary homograft implanted at
initial operation.
Correlation of Regional Function With
ECG
The 48 patients (24 patients <18 and 24 >18 years
old) with repaired TOF and reversed systolic and/or diastolic
myocardial velocities in the RV free wall had a longer QRS duration and
greater QT and JT dispersion than the 26 with normal wall motion
(Table 2
). The duration of myocardial contraction in systole
(s wave) in the patients with wall-motion abnormalities was
significantly longer than in those with normal wall motion (218±60
versus 250±53 ms,
P<0.01).
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There was no correlation between the QRS duration or QRS, QT, and JT dispersion and the length of the segment of RV free wall or ventricular septum with reversed diastolic or systolic velocities.
| Discussion |
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Tissue Doppler Imaging
In this study, tissue Doppler imaging was performed
along the long axis of the RV, because myocardial velocities can be
best assessed in this imaging plane and it best reflects RV
contractility because of the myocardial fiber distribution in the
RV.8 9
Previous studies have demonstrated a good correlation between global function and the peak systolic myocardial velocities at the base of the heart.10 Because the peak systolic myocardial velocities in the RV free wall were reduced in all sampled segments in the TOF patients compared with normal control subjects, we have evidence of reduced global systolic function in our patients. Perhaps more importantly, tissue Doppler imaging can also provide information on regional systolic function.6 The regional abnormalities in our patients were found in the apical and middle regions of the RV free wall and the septum. One might expect abnormal regional wall motion to predominate in the RVOT, where many patients with repaired TOF have a ventriculotomy scar or insertion of a noncontractile outflow tract or transannular patch. The RVOT is not seen in its entirety in the apical 4-chamber view chosen in this study, and a tissue Doppler interrogation in this area of the RV is difficult.
Association Between ECG and Wall-Motion
Abnormalities
It was not the aim of this study to establish a link
between RV wall-motion abnormalities and clinical arrhythmias, but our
data demonstrate that some of the electrical abnormalities previously
linked to the development of clinical arrhythmias are associated with
regional abnormalities of the mechanical properties of the RV in
repaired TOF. Abnormal depolarization (prolonged QRS duration) and
repolarization (JT dispersion) were significantly associated with
systolic and diastolic wall-motion abnormalities.
It is of interest that patients with wall-motion
abnormalities also had a greater QRS dispersion. The latter is
characteristic of slowed interventricular conduction leading to late
electrical activation of some parts of the ventricle and paradoxical
late inward motion during diastole in some regions. This is consistent
with previous electrophysiological
studies11 12 that
have identified localized areas of slowed conduction in several areas
of the RV of these
patients.11 13
The additional presence of abnormal repolarization in patients with
repaired TOF may potentiate the risk for sudden
death.3 Numerous studies have
demonstrated that an abnormally long QRS duration alone is not the only
marker for identifying patients with repaired TOF at risk for sustained
ventricular tachycardia and sudden death and have emphasized the need
for assessment of QT and JT
dispersion.14 15
Abnormal JT dispersion in particular was prevalent in patients with
combined systolic and diastolic wall-motion abnormalities in our study,
but it should be emphasized that none of our patients experienced
clinical ventricular arrhythmias. Although the values of QRS, QT, and
JT dispersion are greater in those with wall-motion abnormalities
(Table 2
), they are less than those reportedly associated
with ventricular tachycardia and sudden
death.2 13
Limitations of This Study
The lack of imaging of the RVOT is a weakness of this
study. Although a specific long- or short-axis view would be more
appropriate, normal comparative data would be hard to validate, and
delineation of patch material from myocardium would be difficult.
Nonetheless, this area is particularly important, because it has been
identified in some electrophysiological studies to be associated with
slowed conduction and initiation of the reentry circuit of ventricular
tachycardia.11 We can only
speculate whether, if it is possible to detect them with tissue Doppler
imaging, additional wall-motion abnormalities in this area may have
affected the results of this study.
In previous studies,2 a link between electrical abnormalities and RV dilatation per se has been described. It remains unclear from our data whether there is a causal relationship between the regional disturbances of mechanical function and abnormalities of conduction, or vice versa. Furthermore, the primary or additional effect of dynamic volume overload on both factors is not well defined. Interestingly, there was no relationship between severity of pulmonary regurgitation, as defined, and the presence of wall-motion abnormalities. This may merely be a reflection of the relative insensitivity of Doppler methods of assessing pulmonary regurgitation or statistical power in the comparison of relatively small study groups,16 rather than a robust demonstration of a lack of a link. We made no attempt to measure RV size or pulmonary regurgitation volume, which would clearly be required in future studies of these phenomena.16 17 We did not assess RV function by means other than tissue Doppler imaging, because cardiac catheterization and MRI were not available in these patients, who were almost all without clinical symptoms.
Conclusions
Abnormal diastolic and systolic myocardial velocities
of the RV free wall are common and more prevalent in patients with
abnormally long QRS duration and QRS and JT dispersion after repair of
TOF. This link between abnormal regional contraction and relaxation
with abnormal electrical repolarization and depolarization is another
manifestation of important mechanoelectrical interactions found in
patients after repair of
TOF.
| Acknowledgments |
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Received August 11, 2000; revision received December 6, 2000; accepted December 14, 2000.
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