ACCESSMENT OF RIGHT VENTRICULAR SYSTOLIC FUNCTION USING TAPSE

Background: The prognostic importance of right ventricular (RV) dysfunction has been suggested in patients with systolic heart failure (due to primary or secondary dilated cardiomyopathy - DCM). Tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE) is a simple, feasible, reality, non-invasive measurement by transthoracic echocardiography for evaluating RV systolic function. Objectives: To evaluate TAPSE in patients with primary or secondary DCM who have left ventricular ejection fraction ≤ 40% and to find the relation between TAPSE and LVEF, LVDd, RVDd, RVDd/LVDd, RA size, severity of TR and PAPs. Materials and Methods: 61 patients (36 males, 59%) mean age 58.6 ± 14.4 years old with clinical signs and symtomps of chronic heart failure which caused by primary or secondary DCM and LVEF ≤ 40% and 30 healthy subject (15 males, 50%) mean age 57.1 ± 16.8 were included in this study. All patients and controls were underwent echocardiographic examination by M-mode, two dimentional, convensional Dopler and TAPSE. Results: TAPSE is significant low in patients compare with the controls (13.93±2.78 mm vs 23.57± 1.60mm, p<0.001). TAPSE is linearly positive correlate with echocardiographic left ventricular ejection fraction (r= 0,43; p<0,001) and linearly negative correlate with RVDd (r= -0.39; p<0.01), RVDd/LVDd (r=-0.33; p<0.01), RA size (r=-0.35; p<0.01), TR (r=-0.26; p<0.05); however, no correlation was found with LVDd and PAPs. Conclusions: 1. Decreased RV systolic function as estimated by TAPSE in patients with systolic heart failure primary and secondary DCM) compare with controls. 2. TAPSE is linearly positive correlate with LVEF (r= 0.43; p<0.001) and linearly negative correlate with RVDd (r= -0.39; p<0.01), RVDd/LVDd (r=-0.33; p<0.01), RA size (r=-0.35; p<0.01), TR (r=-0.26; p<0.05); however, no correlation is found with LVDd and PAPs. 3. TAPSE should be used routinely as a simple, feasible, reality method of estimating RV function in the patients systolic heart failure DCM (primary and secondary).