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Left atrial reservoir strain (LASr) offers diagnostic and prognostic value in patients with heart failure. However, LASr may be technically challenging and is not available to all clinical echocardiographers. Since LASr is a consequence of left atrial (LA) stretch during apical descent of the mitral annulus, we hypothesized that a ratio between mitral annular plane systolic excursion (MAPSE) and LA volume (LAV) may offer similar diagnostic value as LASr. We aimed to investigate the relationship between MAPSE/LAV and LASr and evaluate the diagnostic performance of MAPSE/LAV to identify patients with elevated LV filling pressure. MAPSE/LAV and LA strain measures were obtained in patients referred for echocardiography due to aortic stenosis, and in patients who had undergone clinically indicated right heart catheterization (RHC) with simultaneous echocardiography. In 93 patients with moderate aortic stenosis, MAPSE/LAV was moderately correlated with LASr (r = 0.57) but was lower in patients with elevated compared to normal LV filling pressure by echocardiography (0.11 vs. 0.16 mm/mL, p < 0.001). In 72 patients who had undergone RHC and simultaneous echocardiography, MAPSE/LAV and LASr correlated weakly with pulmonary artery wedge pressure (PAWP) (r=-0.44 and r = 0.37). MAPSE/LAV was lower in patients with elevated (> 15 mmHg) vs. normal PAWP (0.14 mm/mL vs. 0.27 mm/mL). Accuracy for detection of elevated PAWP was similar for MAPSE/LAV (area under the curve MAPSE/LAV: 0.75 [0.58-0.92] and LASr: 0.75 [0.57-0.90]). Despite a moderate correlation with LASr, MAPSE/LAV provided similar diagnostic value as LASr in predicting elevated LV filling pressures as determined by echocardiography and RHC.

Background: Right ventricular (RV) function is inadequately investigated and routinely overlooked in transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy (ATTR-CM). Novel imaging distinguishers between intrinsic RV myocardial disease in ATTR-CM and primary RV overload disorder phenotypes may enhance mechanistic and pathophysiological understanding of RV dysfunction. We aimed to investigate RV performance in ATTR-CM employing comprehensive 2D and 3D echocardiography, and to compare these indices with primary RV afterload disease.

Methods: We investigated conventional and novel indices of RV contractile function, myocardial work and ventricular–vascular coupling in 21 well-characterized ATTR-CM patients, 10 PAH patients and 12 healthy controls. RV long axis function and pulmonary artery (PA) systolic pressure were evaluated using 2D Doppler echocardiography. RV ejection fraction (RVEF), volumes, global longitudinal strain (GLS) and novel myocardial work indices were analyzed by 3D echocardiography. RV elastance (E_es), afterload (E_a) and RV-PA coupling (E_es/E_a) were estimated using the single-beat volume method.

Results: ATTR-CM showed lower RVEF, GLS and E_es, and a higher RV global myocardial work index (GWI), constructive work (GCW), E_a and RV-PA coupling compared with controls. RV EF, stroke volume, GLS and circumferential strain did not differ between ATTR-CM and PAH. However, GWI, GCW, E_es and E_a were lower in ATTR-CM. RV–pulmonary coupling displayed strong association with RV 3D strain (r = 0.84, p < 0.001), whereas RV E_es (contractility) was related to RV GWI (r = 0.54, p < 0.001).

Conclusions: ATTR-CM displayed lower RV performance, higher global myocardial work and higher RV-PA coupling than controls. Myocardial work indices E_es and E_a are novel distinguishers of RV dysfunction phenotypes. The clinical and prognostic value of these novel variables warrant further investigation.

Background: Transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy (ATTR-CM) is an infiltrative disease of the myocardium in which extracellular deposits of amyloid cause progressive cardiac impairment.

Objectives: We aimed to evaluate left atrial (LA) deformation and its association with left ventricular (LV) deformation using LA-LV strain loops in patients with ATTR-CM and patients with left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH). We hypothesized that LA strain in ATTR-CM patients is abnormal and more independent of LV strain, compared to LVH patients.

Methods: Retrospective study based on echocardiographic data including 30 patients diagnosed with ATTR-CM based on an end diastolic interventricular septal (IVSd) thickness of ≥14mm, and 29 patients with LVH (IVSd ≥14mm and no ATTR-CM diagnosis) together with 30 controls. LV global longitudinal strain (LV-GLS) and LA strain, assessed as peak atrial longitudinal strain (PALS), were acquired and plotted to construct LA-LV strain loops and using regression line to determine a LA-LV strain slope.

Results: Significantly lower PALS and LA-LV strain slope values were detected in ATTR-CM patients compared to LVH patients (p=0.004 and p=0.014 respectively). A ROC curve demonstrated similar area under the curve (AUC) using PALS (AUC 0.72) and LA-LV slope (AUC 0.71), with both resulting in higher values than recorded for LV-GLS (AUC 0.62).

Conclusions: LA deformation demonstrates an independent ability to differentiate ATTR-CM from LVH. Combining LV strain and LA deformation analysis displays the mechanical LA/LV dissociation in ATTR-CA and potentially unmasks LA amyloid infiltration, this could potentially enable quicker diagnosis and initiation of treatment for ATTR-CM.

Background and aims: Grading of diastolic function can be useful, but indeterminate classifications are common.

Objectives: We aimed to invasively derive and validate a quantitative echocardiographic estimation of pulmonary artery wedge pressure (PAWP), and to compare its prognostic performance to diastolic dysfunction grading.

Methods: Echocardiographic measures were used to derive an estimated PAWP (ePAWP) using multivariable linear regression in patients undergoing right heart catheterization (RHC). Prognostic associations were analyzed in the National Echocardiography Database of Australia (NEDA).

Results: In patients who had undergone both RHC and echocardiography within two hours (n=90), ePAWP was derived using left atrial volume index, mitral peak early velocity (E), and pulmonary vein systolic velocity (S). In a separate external validation cohort (n=53, simultaneous echocardiography and RHC), ePAWP showed good agreement with invasive PAWP (mean±SD difference 0.5±5.0 mmHg) and good diagnostic accuracy for estimating PAWP>15mmHg (area under the curve [95% confidence interval] 0.94 [0.88-1.00]). Among patients in NEDA (n=38,856, median [interquartile range] follow-up 4.8 [2.3-8.0] years, 2,756 cardiovascular deaths), ePAWP was associated with cardiovascular death even after adjustment for age, sex, and diastolic dysfunction grading (hazard ratio (HR) 1.08 [1.07-1.09] per mmHg) and provided incremental prognostic information to diastolic dysfunction grading (improved C-statistic from 0.65 to 0.68, p<0.001). Increased ePAWP was associated with worse prognosis across all grades of diastolic function (HR normal: 1.07 [1.06-1.09]; indeterminate: 1.08 [1.07-1.09]; abnormal: 1.08 [1.07-1.09], p<0.001 for all).

Conclusions: Echocardiographic ePAWP is an easily acquired continuous variable with good accuracy that associates with prognosis beyond diastolic dysfunction grading.

Aims: Echocardiography plays an important role in suspecting the presence of transthyretin cardiomyopathy (ATTR-CM) in patients with heart failure, based on parameters proposed as “red flags” for the diagnosis of ATTR-CM. We aimed to validate those measurements in a group of patients with ATTR-CM including ATTRv and ATTRwt.

Methods: We tested a number of echocardiographic red flags in 118 patients with confirmed diagnosis of ATTR-CM. These variables were validated against healthy controls and patients with heart failure with left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) but not ATTR-CM. The red flag measures outside the proposed cut-off values were also revalidated.

Results: In ATTR-CM, all conventional echocardiographic parameters were significantly abnormal compared to controls. Comparing ATTR-CM and LVH, LV wall thickness, LV diameter, E velocity, and relative apical sparing (RELAPS) were all different. Eighty-three % of ATTR-CM patients had RELAPS >1.0, 73% had RWT >0.6, 72% had LVEF >50%, 24 % had GLS >-13%, 33% had LVEF/GLS >4 and 54% had increased left atrial volume index (LAVI) (>34ml/m²). Forty % of ATTR-CM patients had SVI <30 ml/m² and 52% had CI < 2.5 L/min/m². RELAPS, LVEF and RWT, in order of accuracy, were the three best measures for the presence ATTR-CM in the patient cohort, who all had thick myocardium. The concomitant presence of the three disturbances was found in only 50% but the combination of RELAPS >1.0 and RWT >0.6 was found in 72% of the patient cohort.

Conclusion: Increased relative apical sparing proved the most accurate independent marker of the presence of ATTR-CM followed by normal LV ejection fraction and then increased relative wall thickness. The other proposed red flags for diagnosing ATTR-CM did not feature as reliable disease predictors.

Aims: Echocardiography plays an important role in suspecting the presence of transthyretin cardiomyopathy (ATTR-CM) in patients with heart failure, based on parameters proposed as ‘red flags’ for the diagnosis of ATTR-CM. We aimed to validate those measurements in a group of patients with ATTR-CM including ATTRv and ATTRwt.

Methods and results: We tested a number of echocardiographic red flags in 118 patients with confirmed diagnosis of ATTR-CM. These variables were validated against healthy controls and patients with heart failure with left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) but not ATTR-CM. The red flag measures outside the proposed cut-off values were also revalidated. In ATTR-CM, all conventional echocardiographic parameters were significantly abnormal compared with controls. Comparing ATTR-CM and LVH, LV wall thickness, LV diameter, E velocity, and relative apical sparing (RELAPS) were all different. Eighty-three per cent of ATTR-CM patients had RELAPS > 1.0, 73% had relative wall thickness (RWT) > 0.6, 72% had LVEF > 50%, 24% had global longitudinal strain (GLS) > −13%, 33% had LVEF/GLS > 4, and 54% had increased left atrial volume index (>34 mL/m2). Forty per cent of ATTR-CM patients had stroke volume index < 30 mL/m2 and 52% had cardiac index < 2.5 L/min/m2. RELAPS, LVEF, and RWT, in order of accuracy, were the three best measures for the presence ATTR-CM in the patient cohort, who all had thick myocardium. The concomitant presence of the three disturbances was found in only 50% but the combination of RELAPS > 1.0 and RWT > 0.6 was found in 72% of the patient cohort.

Conclusion: Increased relative apical sparing proved the most accurate independent marker of the presence of ATTR-CM followed by normal LV ejection fraction and then increased relative wall thickness. The other proposed red flags for diagnosing ATTR-CM did not feature as reliable disease predictors.

Doppler echocardiography is the corner-stone of non-invasive investigation of patients with a clinical diagnosis of heart failure. It provides an accurate and quantitative assessment of cardiac structure and function. Furthermore, spectral Doppler measurement is an invaluable technique for estimating intracardiac pressures with their crucial value in the optimum management of heart failure patients, irrespective of ejection fraction. Speckle tracking echocardiography stretches the unique application of echocardiography to analyze the myocardial deformation function which has proved very accurate in detecting ischemia, dyssynchrony, subclinical dysfunction and also in estimating pulmonary capillary wedge pressures. The role of longitudinal myocardial left atrial deformation dynamics has recently emerged as a valuable tool for assessing left ventricular diastolic dysfunction in patients with cardiac diseases regardless of their ejection fraction. Finally, the extent of myocardial deformation has been shown to correlate with the severity of myocardial fibrosis, a common finding in patients with heart failure.

Objective: There is an increased risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) in patients with radiographic axial spondyloarthritis (r-axSpA). In this cross-sectional study, we aimed to, overall and stratified by sex, (i) compare ultrasound derived carotid intima media thickness (cIMT), between patients and controls, and (ii) investigate associations between cIMT, clinical disease activity and inflammation-related laboratory markers in patients with r-axSpA.

Method: In total, 155 patients diagnosed with r-axSpA using the modified New York criteria and 400 controls were included. Bilateral carotid ultrasound, laboratory testing, and questionaries were acquired. Disease-specific assessments were carried out for patients. Linear regression analysis was used to assess associations.

Results: Linear regression analyses showed that patients with r-axSpA had increased mean cIMT compared to controls (mean ± SD, 0.8 ± 0.1 mm vs 0.7± 0.1 mm, respectively, unstandardized β (95% CI) -0.076 (-0.10, -0.052), P < 0.001) adjusted for smoking status and age. Linear regression analyses for patients with r-axSpA showed that only males presented significant associations between cIMT and inflammation-related laboratory markers, white blood cell (WBC) count (mean ± SD, 6.8 ± 1.6 10⁹/L) and monocytes (0.6 ± 0.2 10⁹/L); WBC count (unstandardized β (95% CI) 0.019 (0.0065, 0.031), P = 0.003, R² = 0.57) and monocytes (0.13 (0.0047, 0.26), P = 0.041, R² = 0.55), adjusted for age, smoking status, body mass index, hypertension, dyslipidemia, diabetes mellitus, ASDAS-CRP, and treatment with DMARDs and glucocorticoids. No significant association was found between cIMT and clinical disease activity assessed by ASDAS-CRP.

Conclusion: Patients with r-axSpA had significantly increased cIMT compared to controls. In male patients, higher WBC and monocyte count were associated with an increase in cIMT suggesting the role of inflammation in the development of atherosclerosis. 

Background: Elevated filling pressure is a hallmark of heart failure (HF) and portends poor prognosis. Accurate diagnosis is challenging, given that patients with normal filling pressure at rest develop disproportionate elevation with sudden preload increase. We aimed to test the accuracy of the ratio between mitral inflow velocity (E) and left ventricular stroke volume (SV) to identify patients with elevated filling pressure with passive leg lifting (PLL) and compare this with other echocardiographic surrogates of filling pressure.

Methods: Doppler echocardiography and right heart catheterization (RHC) were simultaneously performed in 37 patients (11 males, mean age 67 ± 12 years) with exertional dyspnea. Twenty-six healthy controls (14 males, mean age 60 ± 12 years) were added as reference. SV, cardiac output (CO), tricuspid regurgitation peak gradient (TRG), mitral E-wave (E) and early myocardial velocity (e') were obtained at rest and with PLL. E/SV, E/CO and E/e' were calculated and correlated with invasive pulmonary capillary wedge pressures (PCWP) with PLL.

Results: During PLL, E/SV (AUC = 0.94) displayed stronger diagnostic ability to identify PCWP >15 mmHg than E/e' (AUC = 0.81), mitral E/A ratio (0.76) and resting invasive PCWP (0.84). An E/SV cutoff of >1.0 showed 88% sensitivity and 75% specificity to identify elevated PCWP. Further, 10 patients (27%) were reassigned during PLL from normal to postcapillary pulmonary hypertension (postCPH), and 6 patients (16%) switched diagnosis from precapillary PH (preCPH) to postCPH.

Conclusion: The novel E/SV ratio identifies patients with elevated PCWP with PLL and displays stronger diagnostic performance than routinely utilized echocardiographic measures such as E/e' in addition to resting, catheterization derived PCWP.

Background: The assessment of left ventricular (LV) filling pressure in heart failure (HF) poses a diagnostic challenge, as HF patients may have normal LV filling pressures at rest but often display elevated LV filling pressures during exercise. Rapid preload increase during passive leg lift (PLL) may unmask HF in such challenging scenarios. We explored the dynamic interplay between simultaneous left atrial (LA) function and volume using LA strain/volume loops during rest and PLL and compared its diagnostic performance with conventional echocardiographic surrogates to detect elevated LV filling pressure.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 35 patients with clinical HF who underwent simultaneous echocardiography and right heart catheterization before and immediately after PLL. Patients with atrial fibrillation (n = 4) were excluded. Twenty age-matched, healthy controls were added as controls. LA reservoir strain (LASr) was analyzed using speckle-tracking echocardiography. LA strain–volume loops were generated, including the best-fit linear regression line employing simultaneous LASr and LA volume.

Results: LA strain–volume slope was lower for HF patients when compared with controls (0.71 vs. 1.22%/mL, p < 0.001). During PLL, the LA strain–volume slope displayed a moderately strong negative correlation with invasive pulmonary arterial wedge pressure (PAWP) (r = −0.71, p < 0.001). At a 0.74%/mL cut-off, the LA strain–volume slope displayed 88% sensitivity and 86% specificity to identify elevated PAWP (AUC 0.89 [0.76–1.00]). In comparison, LASr demonstrated strong but numerically lower diagnostic performance (AUC 0.82 [0.67–0.98]), and mitral E/e’ showed poor performance (AUC 0.57 [0.32–0.82]).

Conclusions: In this proof-of-concept study, LA strain–volume characteristics provide incremental diagnostic value over conventional echocardiographic measures in the identification of elevated LV filling pressure.