RESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Echocardiography is essential for the assessment of patients with heart transplants. However, normal values in such individuals are not clearly defined. OBJECTIVES: To compare conventional echocardiographic and speckle tracking variables between patients with unrejected heart transplants and healthy individuals. METHODS: :A prospective study was conducted with adult patients having undergone heart transplantation at least one year earlier and submitted to endomyocardial biopsy followed by transthoracic echocardiogram (TTE). Conventional TTE measures and mechanical heart strain assessments using speckle tracking were performed and the results were compared to those of a group of healthy volunteers. Statistical significance was set at 5% (p < 0.05). RESULTS: Thirty-six transplant patients without rejection were analyzed and compared to 30 healthy individuals. Chagas disease was the main reason for transplantation. Lower left ventricular global longitudinal strain expressed in absolute values was found (11.99% in transplant patients vs. 20.60% in controls; p <0.0001), right ventricular free wall longitudinal strain (16.67% in transplant patients vs. 25.50% in controls; p <0.0001) and myocardial work indices (p < 0.0001) as well as a larger size of the left atrium (38.17 ml/m2 in transplant patients vs. 18.98 ml/m2 in controls; p <0.0001) and greater mass and relative wall thickness (p <0.0001). CONCLUSION: Stable patients having undergone heart transplants without rejection have differences concerning echocardiographic variables compared to healthy individuals. These findings indicate that conventional echocardiographic measures and heart mechanics are altered in transplant patients even in the absence of rejection. Such findings are relevant to the clinical context and follow-up of the patient.
FUNDAMENTO: A ecocardiografia é essencial para avaliação do coração transplantado. No entanto, os valores de normalidade no transplante cardíaco (TC) não estão claramente definidos. Objetivos: Comparar parâmetros ecocardiográficos convencionais e pela técnica de Speckle Tracking entre pacientes transplantados cardíacos sem rejeição e uma população de indivíduos saudáveis. MÉTODOS: Foram estudados prospectivamente pacientes adultos, com menos de 1 ano de TC, que realizaram biópsia endomiocárdica de vigilância seguido de ecocardiograma transtorácico (ETT). Medidas convencionais de ETT acrescidas da avaliação de mecânica cardíaca por meio do Strain pelo Speckle Tracking foram realizadas e comparadas com um grupo de voluntários saudáveis. A significância estatística adotada para o estudo foi de 5%. RESULTADOS: Avaliou-se 36 pacientes transplantados sem rejeição, os quais foram comparados com 30 indivíduos saudáveis. Observou-se redução nos valores de Strain Global Longitudinal de Ventrículo Esquerdo em valor absoluto (11,99% transplantados, 20,60% controle, p<0,0001), Strain de parede livre de Ventrículo Direito (transplantados 16,67%, controle 25,50%, p<0,0001) e dos índices de trabalho miocárdico (p<0,0001), maior tamanho do átrio esquerdo (38,17 ml/m2 transplantados, controle 18,98 ml/m2, p<0,0001), maior índice de massa e espessura relativa das paredes (p<0,0001) e a presença da Doença de Chagas como principal etiologia para o transplante. CONCLUSÃO: Os transplantados cardíacos estáveis e sem rejeição apresentaram diferenças com relação aos parâmetros ecocardiográficos comparados com indivíduos saudáveis. Estes achados indicam que medidas ecocardiográficas convencionais e de mecânica cardíaca são alteradas em transplantados mesmo na ausência de rejeição e podem ser relevantes para o contexto clínico e acompanhamento dos pacientes.
Asunto(s)
Ecocardiografía , Trasplante de Corazón , Humanos , Masculino , Femenino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Adulto , Estudios Prospectivos , Ecocardiografía/métodos , Estudios de Casos y Controles , Valores de Referencia , Ventrículos Cardíacos/diagnóstico por imagen , Ventrículos Cardíacos/fisiopatología , Biopsia , Estadísticas no ParamétricasRESUMEN
Resumo Fundamento A ecocardiografia é essencial para avaliação do coração transplantado. No entanto, os valores de normalidade no transplante cardíaco (TC) não estão claramente definidos. Objetivos: Comparar parâmetros ecocardiográficos convencionais e pela técnica de Speckle Tracking entre pacientes transplantados cardíacos sem rejeição e uma população de indivíduos saudáveis. Métodos Foram estudados prospectivamente pacientes adultos, com menos de 1 ano de TC, que realizaram biópsia endomiocárdica de vigilância seguido de ecocardiograma transtorácico (ETT). Medidas convencionais de ETT acrescidas da avaliação de mecânica cardíaca por meio do Strain pelo Speckle Tracking foram realizadas e comparadas com um grupo de voluntários saudáveis. A significância estatística adotada para o estudo foi de 5%. Resultados Avaliou-se 36 pacientes transplantados sem rejeição, os quais foram comparados com 30 indivíduos saudáveis. Observou-se redução nos valores de Strain Global Longitudinal de Ventrículo Esquerdo em valor absoluto (11,99% transplantados, 20,60% controle, p<0,0001), Strain de parede livre de Ventrículo Direito (transplantados 16,67%, controle 25,50%, p<0,0001) e dos índices de trabalho miocárdico (p<0,0001), maior tamanho do átrio esquerdo (38,17 ml/m2 transplantados, controle 18,98 ml/m2, p<0,0001), maior índice de massa e espessura relativa das paredes (p<0,0001) e a presença da Doença de Chagas como principal etiologia para o transplante. Conclusão Os transplantados cardíacos estáveis e sem rejeição apresentaram diferenças com relação aos parâmetros ecocardiográficos comparados com indivíduos saudáveis. Estes achados indicam que medidas ecocardiográficas convencionais e de mecânica cardíaca são alteradas em transplantados mesmo na ausência de rejeição e podem ser relevantes para o contexto clínico e acompanhamento dos pacientes.
Abstract Background Echocardiography is essential for the assessment of patients with heart transplants. However, normal values in such individuals are not clearly defined. Objectives To compare conventional echocardiographic and speckle tracking variables between patients with unrejected heart transplants and healthy individuals. Methods : A prospective study was conducted with adult patients having undergone heart transplantation at least one year earlier and submitted to endomyocardial biopsy followed by transthoracic echocardiogram (TTE). Conventional TTE measures and mechanical heart strain assessments using speckle tracking were performed and the results were compared to those of a group of healthy volunteers. Statistical significance was set at 5% (p < 0.05). Results Thirty-six transplant patients without rejection were analyzed and compared to 30 healthy individuals. Chagas disease was the main reason for transplantation. Lower left ventricular global longitudinal strain expressed in absolute values was found (11.99% in transplant patients vs. 20.60% in controls; p <0.0001), right ventricular free wall longitudinal strain (16.67% in transplant patients vs. 25.50% in controls; p <0.0001) and myocardial work indices (p < 0.0001) as well as a larger size of the left atrium (38.17 ml/m2 in transplant patients vs. 18.98 ml/m2 in controls; p <0.0001) and greater mass and relative wall thickness (p <0.0001). Conclusion Stable patients having undergone heart transplants without rejection have differences concerning echocardiographic variables compared to healthy individuals. These findings indicate that conventional echocardiographic measures and heart mechanics are altered in transplant patients even in the absence of rejection. Such findings are relevant to the clinical context and follow-up of the patient.
RESUMEN
Background: Echocardiographic markers associated with asymptomatic acute cellular rejection (ACR) in patients with orthotopic heart transplant (HT) are still under investigation. The aim of our study was to determine clinical and myocardial strain imaging (MSI) variables evaluated by echocardiography associated with ACR in the first year of HT. A separate analysis was performed to compare variables during the first 6 months of HT, when ACR has a prevalence in 60% of patients. Another analysis evaluated an exclusive population with Chagas disease as the cause of HT. Methods: We prospectively studied 67 patients with less than 1 year of HT, 36 patients without ACR (41% men, age 49 ± 12 years, 52% Chagas disease as the cause of heart failure), and 31 patients with ACR (59% men, age 55 ± 8 years, 74% Chagas disease as the cause of heart failure). Conventional echocardiographic measurements and MSI by global longitudinal strain (GLS) from the left ventricle (LV) and right ventricle free wall (RV-FWLS) and myocardial work (MW) from the left ventricle were obtained by experienced echocardiologists. Clinical variables, such as the presence of diabetes, hypertension, and immunosuppressant drugs, were compared between groups. Results: HT patients with ACR were older and used more cyclosporine for immunosuppression. The positive ACR group had an increased relative wall thickness and LV mass index and similar LVGLS and RV-FWLS compared to the negative ACR group. Nevertheless, MW analysis observed increased global work efficiency (GWE) in positive ACR. Multivariate analysis identified older age, cyclosporine use, LV mass index, and GWE as independent predictors for detecting rejection. A separate analysis was performed for patients with less than 6 months of HT. Similar MSI was observed in both groups, with a trend for increased GWE in patients with ACR and significantly increased LV mass index in the ACR group. An exclusive group of Chagas patients as the primary cause of HT was analyzed, and similar MSI results for LVGLS, RV-FWLS, and MW were observed for both ACR and the no rejection groups. Additionally, the survival rates at 2 years were similar between the Chagas disease groups. Conclusion: LVGLS and RV-FWLS were similar between patients with or without ACR in the first year after HT. Conversely, GWE, a derivative of LVGLS, and LV mass index were increased in positive ACR and could be markers for rejection. Increased LV mass index was also found in a subgroup analysis of patients less than 6 months after HT; however, MSI was similar regardless of ACR. For chagasic patients, rejection in the first year did not increase mortality at the 2-year follow-up, and MSI parameters were similar between patients with or without ACR. In a multivariate analysis to predict ACR, the independent parameters in this study were older age, cyclosporine use, LV mass index, and GWE.