Evaluation of Left Ventricular Function in Patients with Mitral Annular
Disjunction Using Speckle Tracking Echocardiography
Abstract
Introduction: Mitral annular disjunction (MAD) is a structural
abnormality characterized by the systolic detachment of the posterior
mitral annulus and the ventricular myocardium. It is usually observed
coexistent with mitral valve prolapse(MVP) and associated with a
mechanical dysfunction despite preserved electrical isolation function
of the mitral annulus. Diagnosis depends on the detection of disjunction
by imaging modalities as transthoracic echocardiography or cardiac
magnetic resonance imaging (CMRI). This study aimed to evaluate left
ventricular (LV) function using speckle tracking echocardiography in MVP
patients with MAD. Methods: This study was designed as a
prospective, single-center study including 103 patients with MVP and 40
age- and sex-matched control subjects. Transthoracic echocardiography
and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging were performed to assess LV
function and MAD presence. Results: MAD (+) MVP (n=34), MAD (-)
MVP (n=69), and control (n=40) groups were enrolled in the study. Among
the MVP patients, 34 (33%) had MAD. T negativity in the inferior leads
on electrocardiography was more frequent in the MAD (+) group than in
the MAD (-) patients (4.3% vs 20.6%, p=0.014). Mitral regurgitation
degree, Pickelhaube sign (17.6% vs. 1.4%, p=0.005), and late
gadolinium enhancement frequency (35.3% vs. 10.6%, p=0.002) were
significantly higher in MAD (+) patients. MAD (+) patients had
significantly impaired global longitudinal strain (GLS) -23.1±2.1 vs.
-23.5±2.3, P<0.001), basal longitudinal strain (BLS)
(-19.6±1.5 vs -20.5±1.9, P < 0.001), and Mid-Ventricular
Longitudinal Strain(MVLS) (-22.2±1.7 vs -23.2±2.2, P<0.001)
when compared to MAD (-) MVP patients, despite similar LV ejection
fraction. All these values of MVP patients were also significantly lower
than the control group. The mean MAD distance was 7.8 ± 3.2 mm in MAD
(+) patients. Patients with 2 or more symptoms were higher in the MAD
(+) group than in the MAD (-) group (4.3% vs 44.1%,
P<0.001). Conclusion: This study demonstrated a
significant decrease in longitudinal strain in MVP patients with MAD,
indicating myocardial dysfunction. These findings suggest that MAD may
contribute to LV dysfunction and highlight the importance of early
detection in younger patients. Further research is needed to explore the
functional implications and long-term outcomes of MAD.