Effect of weight loss induced by intragastric balloon therapy on cardiac function in morbidly obese individuals: a pilot study

The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of intragastric balloon therapy on left ventricular function and left ventricular mass in a cohort of morbidly obese patients. A prospective trial was performed in a cohort of 17 class II and class III morbidly obese individuals. The intragastric balloon was retained in the stomach for an average of 6 months. Conventional and tissue Doppler echocardiography were performed in all patients before and after the procedure. The mean age of the study participants was 36 +/- 10 years [range: 18-55]. The mean body mass index was significantly decreased following the intragastric balloon insertion procedure [44 +/- 8 vs. 38 +/- 5, p < 0.001]. The left ventricular mass index and left atrial volume index were significantly decreased following the procedure [112 +/- 21 vs. 93 +/- 17, p = 0.001 and 20 +/- 6 vs. 14 +/- 5, p = 0.02, respectfully]. In addition, the ratio of mitral peak early diastolic velocity to tissue Doppler-derived peak diastolic velocity and tissue Doppler echocardiography-derived left ventricular myocardial performance index were decreased significantly following the procedure [9.5 +/- 1.9 vs. 7.7 +/- 1.5, p = 0.002 and 0.57 +/- 0.11 vs. 0.46 +/- 0.06, p= 0.001, respectively].Intragastric balloon therapy resulted in significant weight reduction in morbidly obese patients. This weight reduction was associated with improved left ventricular function

Coronary ectasia is associated with impaired left ventricular myocardial performance in patients without significant coronary artery Stenosis

To determine both ventricular functions and tissue Doppler echocardiography [TDE]-derived myocardial performance index [MPI] in patients with coronary artery ectasia [CAE]. Twenty-five patients with CAE [13 men; mean age 57 +/- 9 years] and 25 age- and sex-matched controls without CAE [8 men; mean age 54 +/- 10 years] were enrolled in the study. Left and right ventricular functions were detected using conventional echocardiography and TDE. Left ventricle-lateral wall [0.61 +/- 0.17; 0.50 +/- 0.10, p = 0.02], interventricular septum [0.66 +/- 0.17; 0.52 +/- 0.10, p = 0.007] and mean MPI [0.63 +/- 0.15; 0.51 +/- 0.09, p = 0.004] were increased in the CAE group compared to the control group. Right ventricular MPI was similar in both the CAE and control groups [0.58 +/- 0.18; 0.52 +/- 0.19, p > 0.05]. The findings show that left ventricular MPI is different in CAE patients without obstructive coronary artery disease compared to the normal control group. Also in these patients, right ventricular MPI was similar to the control group