The differences in left ventricular torsional behavior between patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and hypertensive heart disease

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the differences in left ventricular (LV) twisting behavior between patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) and hypertensive heart disease (HHD). Methods: Forty-four patients with HCM (mean age, 63 +/- 15 years), 35 patients with HHD (mean age, 63 +/- 13 years) and 20 age and sex-matched control subjects were evaluated. After a standard echocardiographic examination, LV twist and twisting velocity profiles from apical and basal short-axis images were analyzed using two-dimensional speckle tracking imaging. Results: LV diastolic and systolic dimensions, and ejection fraction were not significantly different among the groups. LV mass index and early diastolic mitral annular velocity were not significantly different between the HCM and HHD groups. The peak torsion in the HCM and HHD groups was significantly greater than that in the control group. The peak untwisting velocity in the HCM group was comparable with that in the control group. However, when the peak untwisting velocity was corrected by peak torsion, this ratio was significantly decreased in the HCM group compared with the values in the HHD and control groups. The time to peak untwisting velocity in the HCM group was significantly longer than the values in the HHD and control groups. Conclusions: These results suggest that enhanced peak torsion in HCM may improve untwisting behavior, but this mechanism fails to fully compensate for impaired untwisting behavior compared with HHD. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.