Left Atrial Strain as a Predictor of Diastolic Stress Test Results in Patients With Arterial Hypertension

Aim To study a possibility of using the left atrial strain (LAS) for predicting results of the noninvasive diastolic stress test (DST) in patients with arterial hypertension (AH). Material and methods The study included 98 patients previously diagnosed with AH. As a part of evaluation for complaints of dyspnea, palpitation or pain in the area of the heart, DST and transthoracic echocardiography were performed. Echocardiography included measurements of LAS in the reservoir phase, left atrial volume index (LAVI), pulmonary artery systolic pressure (PASP), and ratio of early filling transmitral flow velocity to mitral annular velocity (Е / е’). Results The DST was negative in 52 patients (group 1) and positive in 46 patients (group 2). Group 2 had greater values of mean Е / е’ (11.0 [9.4; 12.6] vs 9.0 [7.9; 11.1], р=0.0003); LAVI (33.8 [29.0; 40.0] ml /m 2 vs 28.0 ml /m 2 [25.0; 32.9], р=0.0001); and PASP (29.0 mm Hg [28.0; 30.0] vs 26.0 mm Hg [25.0; 28.0], р