Correlations of left ventricular systolic function indices with aortic root systolic excursion (ARSE): A cross-sectional echocardiographic study

Background Heart failure (HF), is a major public health issue globally. Echocardiography is cost-effective in the diagnosis in expert hands. This study was conducted to estimate the usefulness of Aortic Root Systolic Excursion (ARSE) as a simple and accurate measure to estimate Left Ventricular (LV) function. Methods This was a cross-sectional echocardiographic study among adults aged >= 18 years, with or without heart failure, in sinus rhythm, and with no LV out-let obstruction. We studied the correlations of ARSE with some selected indices of LV Systolic Functions. We determined optimal cut-offs of ARSE in detecting LV dysfunction. We generated a simple regression equation to best estimate LV ejection fraction according to the modified Simpson method. Results Overall 213 echocardiograms were included from 106 males (49.8%), with mean age of the participants being 52.4 (SD: 18.3) years. The rate of LV systolic dysfunction was highest with Teicholz method (17.4%) and lowest with MAPSE method (5.2%). ARSE correlated with the LV functions. This was highest for the Simpson method (r = 0.619, p<0.001), and lowest for the ITV method (r = 0.319, p<0.001). Optimal cut-offs to detect LV systolic dysfunction was approximate to 6.6 mm. For an LV ejection fraction < 55%, the sensitivity was 82.9%, and the specificity was 97.2%, with an AUROC of 91.6%.The logarithmic regression equation was best in predicting LV ejection fraction (AUC: 60.2%), followed by the power model (AUC: 56.7%), and the linear model (AUC: 53.6%). Conclusion ARSE correlated well with LV systolic function. The cut-off <= 6.5 mm suggest LV systolic dysfunction. LV Ejection Fraction was best estimated with the generic equation: LVEF (%) = 29 x In [ARSE].