The Diagnostic Value of 2D- Speckle Tracking Echocardiography for
Identifying Subclinical Ventricular Dysfunction in Subjects with Early
Repolarization Pattern
Abstract
Introduction: Early repolarization pattern (ERP) has been known a benign
electrocardiographic variant for decades. However, it can exist a silent
substrate for arrhytmic events in accordance with the previous studies
which have shown that there has been evidence of morphological changes
in left ventricle (LV) in subjects with ERP. Despite structural changes
in ERP subjects, it has not exactly known that whether a change in
functional parameters of LV occur in these population. The aim of our
study was to investigate LV functional parameters in subjects with ERP
by the use of 2D- speckle tracking echocardiography (2D-STE). Method: In
this study, subjects with ERP (n= 50) and subjects without ERP (n= 50)
were recruited between 01.04.2018 and 01.09.2018. For each case, 2D- STE
evaluation was performed by the same cardiologist. Results: Mean LV
global longitudinal strain (GLS) and GLS in all apical chamber views,
longitudinal peak systolic strain rate (SRS) at A3C, early diastolic
strain rate (SRE) at A3C and late diastolic strain rate (SRA) at A3C in
the ERP subjects were significantly lower than those in the subjects
without ERP. Furthermore, LV basal segment circumferential SRS and SRE
were significantly lower in ERP subjects compared to subjects without
ERP. Conclusion: Our study suggests that ERP can be more associated with
impaired LV longitudinal function than LV circumferential function. In
addition, both LV inferolateral region and LV basal segment can be more
affected functionally in ERP subjects.