Diastolic Function Evaluations by Tissue Doppler Imaging in Patients With Mitral Valve Prolapse

Background: Tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) is a new echocardiographic imaging technique that is believed to be superior to older conventional techniques in assessing abnormalities of cardiac function in many conditions affecting the heart. There are very limited data regarding the role of TDI in evaluating patients with mitral valve prolapse (MVP). Current study evaluates diastolic function in patients with MVP by this method. Methods: From November 2009 to April 2011, one hundred and ten adults matched for age and sex and without structural heart disease were studied in two groups, with and without MVP, at Madani Heart Center, Tabriz, Iran. TDI was performed at the basal-lateral wall and S, E, E', A, and A' velocities, as well as the E/A and E'/A' ratios were measured. Mitral annular systolic velocity and early diastolic (E') velocities were measured lateral corner of mitral valve in apical 4-chamber view. Results: Patients with MVP had higher left atrium volume (42.31 +/- 10.47 vs. 35.19 +/- 9.15 cm3; P < 0.001) and deceleration time (186.70 +/- 26.00 vs. 176.89 +/- 20.36 ms; P = 0.03). Diastolic dysfunction, although seemed more prevalent in MVP group (14.54%) than normal subjects (5.45%), the difference was not statistically significant between groups (P = 0.11). Conclusion: Left atrial volume and deceleration time of mitral valve inflow was significantly higher in MVP which could be indicative of early stages of diastolic dysfunction in patients with MVP. However, larger follow-up studies are required to evaluate clinical significance of our findings in these patients.