Doppler-derived mitral deceleration time: An early strong predictor of left ventricular remodeling after reperfused anterior acute myocardial infarction

The relation between remodeling and left ventricular (LV) diastolic function has not yet been fully investigated. The aim of this study was to determine whether early assessment of Doppler-derived mitral deceleration time (DT), a measure of LV compliance and filling, may predict progressive LV dilation after acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Fifty-one patients (aged 61+/-11 years; 6 women) with anterior AMI successfully treated with direct coronary angioplasty underwent 2-dimensional and Doppler echocardiographic examinations within 24 hours of admission, at days 3, 7, and 30 and 6 months after the index infarction. Mitral flow velocities were obtained from the apical 4-chamber view with pulsed Doppler. End-diastolic volume index (EDVI) and end-systolic volume index (ESVI) were calculated with the Simpson's rule algorithm. Patients were divided according to the DT duration assessed at day 3 in 2 groups: group 1 (n=33) with DT >130 ms and group 2 (n=18) with DT