Investigation of the predictive value of speckle tracking imaging for the assessment of cardiac function and clinical prognosis in patients with hypercholesterolemia

Abstract

The predictive value of speckle tracking imaging (STI) for the assessment of cardiac function and clinical prognosis in patients with hypercholesterolemia was explored. One hundred fortyseven patients with hypercholesterolemia diagnosed in our hospital and 137 healthy adults from our health examination center over the same period were included in this study. Using STI and color Doppler ultrasound, we carried out followup of cardiac function in patients with hypercholesterolemia and statistical analysis based on collected data. Global longitudinal strain, global circumferential strain, and the strains of apical longaxis, fourchamber and twochamber planes, and shortaxis mitral valve, shortaxis papillary muscle, and short-axis apical levels in the hypercholesterolemia group were significantly lower than those in the control group. Global systolic anda earlyaly diastoliciastolic strainstai ratesats were signi-cantlysii lower than those in the control group. In the coronaries, the percentage of segments with signicant differences was 80% (24/30) in the left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD), 66.7% (9/12) in the left circumflex coronary artery (LCX), and 75% (8/12) in the right coronary artery (RCA). The average strains in the long axis, radial, and circumferential directions (StrainSL, SC, SR - Avg) in the three main coronaries were signicantly different between the hypercholesterolemia group and control group (P<0.0001). In the three coronaries and their basal and mid segments, there were significant differences between LCX and LAD, and between LCX and RCA (P<0.0001). In conclusion, the application of STI for monitoring cardiac function in patients with hypercholesterolemia provides physicians with useful information related to hypercholesterolemia to achieve early diagnosis and effective treatment.