Objectives To analyze left ventricular (LV) myocardial deformation and contractile reserve (CR) in asymptomatic patients with severe aortic regurgitation (AR) at rest and during exercise, and their correlation with functional capacity. Background The natural history of chronic AR is characterized by a prolonged silent phase before onset of symptoms and overt LV dysfunction. Assessment of LV systolic function and contractile reserve has an important role in the decision‐making of AR asymptomatic patients. Methods Standard echo, lung ultrasound, and LV 2D speckle tracking strain were performed at rest and during exercise in asymptomatic patients with severe AR and in age‐ and sex‐comparable healthy controls. Results 115 AR patients (male sex 58.2%; 52.3 ± 18.3 years) and 55 controls were enrolled. Baseline LV ejection fraction was comparable between the groups. Resting LV global longitudinal strain (GLS) and myocardial work efficiency (MWE) were significantly reduced in AR (GLS‐15.8 ± 2.8 vs −21.4 ± 4.4; P < .001). Patients with AR and CR− showed reduced resting LV GLS and MWE and increased B‐lines. MWE was closely related to peak effort watts, VO2, LV E/e′, and B‐lines, at a multivariable analysis. Both GLS and MWE were strong independent predictors of CR. A resting LV GLS cutoff of −12% differentiated CR+ and CR− (78% sensitivity and 84% specificity). Conclusions The lower resting values of LV GLS and MWE in severe AR asymptomatic patients suggest an early subclinical myocardial damage that seems to be closely associated with lower exercise capacity, greater pulmonary congestion, and blunted LV contractile reserve during stress.

Anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS) are used by power athletes to improve performance. However, the real effects of the chronic consumption of AAS on cardiovascular structures are subjects of intense debate. To detect by speckle tracking echocardiography (STE) underlying left atrial (LA) dysfunction in athletes abusing AAS and assess possible correlation between LA myocardial function and exercise capacity during cardiopulmonary stress test. 65 top-level competitive bodybuilders were selected (45 males), including 35 athletes misusing AAS for at least 5 years (users), 30 anabolic-free bodybuilders (non-users), compared to 40 age- and sex-matched healthy sedentary controls. Standard Doppler echocardiography, STE analysis and bicycle ergometric test were performed to assess LA myocardial function and exercise capacity. Athletes showed increased left ventricular (LV) mass index, wall thickness and stroke volume compared with controls, whereas LV ejection fraction, LV end-diastolic diameter and transmitral Doppler indexes were comparable between the three groups. Conversely, LA volume index, LV and LA strain and LV E/Em were significantly increased in AAS users. By multivariate analyses, LV E/Em (beta = - 0.30, p < 0.01), LA volume index (- 0.42, p < 0.001) and number of weeks of AAS use per year (- 0.54, p < 0.001) emerged as the only independent determinants of LA lateral wall peak STE. In addition, a close association between LA myocardial function and VO peak during cardiopulmonary exercise testing was evidenced (p < 0.001), showing a powerful incremental value with respect to clinical and standard echocardiographic data. STE represents a promising technique to assess LA myocardial function in athletes abusing steroids. AAS users showed a more impaired LA deformation, associated with reduced functional capacity during physical effort.

Background:Transthoracic Doppler echocardiographic examination is commonly performed to define the diastolic ventricular function since it is widely available, noninvasive, and inexpensive with respect to other diagnostic imaging modalities. However, data regarding age- and gender-matched reference values are scanty and sometimes conflicting. This study aims to explore the physiologic variations of left ventricular (LV) E/e' ratio as assessed in a large cohort of healthy adults and to investigate clinical and echocardiographic correlates.Methods:From June 2007 to February 2014, 1168 healthy Caucasian adults (mean age 45.1 ± 15.6 years) performed standard echocardiographic examination (transthoracic echocardiogram).Results:E/e' constantly increases across all the age classes (P < 0.0001, analyses of variance both for males and females) with a strong statistically significant linear positive correlation with age. Stepwise multiple linear regression analysis identified age (P < 0.0001), LV mass (P < 0.001), LV end-diastolic volume (P < 0.01), and left atrial volume (P < 0.001) as the only independent determinants of E/e' ratio (model R2 = 0.54, P < 0.0001).Conclusions:In healthy subjects, transmitral E velocity to e' ratio changes in relation to the age: it increased with a statistically significant correlation in individuals older than 60 years. Hence, differences related to demographic and anthropometric measurements may potentially develop a misclassification of otherwise normal individuals when established on dichotomically suggested normal reference values. Our study can demonstrate that it is indispensable to apply specific cutoff related to the age and gender to properly assess LV diastolic function.

Background: Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is an alternative treatment in surgically intermediate-or high-risk patients with classical low-flow, low-gradient (LFLG) aortic stenosis (AS). The objective of this study was to investigate whether two-dimensional (2D) speckle-tracking echocardiography (STE) can predict left ventricular (LV) flow reserve during dobutamine stress echocardiography (DSE) and remodeling after TAVR in patients with LFLG AS. Methods: Seventy-five symptomatic patients with severe LFLG AS were recruited (mean age, 77.6 6 8.4 years). Patients underwent a complete clinical evaluation, standard echocardiography, 2D STE, and DSE. Echocardiographic analysis was performed before and 6 months after TAVR using global longitudinal strain (GLS) measured on 2D STE. Results: All patients received self-expanding transcatheter prosthetic valves. Six months after TAVR, LV GLS (12.8 6 3.2% vs 16.3 6 4.2%, P < .0001) significantly increased. In a multivariate analysis, LV GLS before TAVR (P < .0001) was an independent predictor of LV flow reserve during DSE. By receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, a cutoff value for LV GLS of #12% well distinguished patients without significant flow reserve and with lack of positive remodeling after TAVR at follow-up. These results support the hypothesis that myocardial analysis by 2D STE at baseline can be useful for the identification of patients with LFLG AS who would benefit from TAVR. Conclusions: The results of this study underline the predictive value of LV GLS on flow reserve during DSE and on global LV remodeling after TAVR in patients with LFLG AS. Cutoff values for LV GLS could be used to identify patients responding better to TAVR.

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