Dynamic observation of cardiac structural and functional alterations on allografted heart by echocardiography / 中华超声影像学杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To observe cardiac structural and functional alterations one year following orthotopic heart transplantation. Methods In 23 patients with orthotopic heart transplantation, the end-diastolic diameter of the atria and the ventricles(LAD, RAD, LVEDD and RVED), the thickness of interventricular septum,left ventricular posterior wall and right ventricular anterior wall(IVS,LVPW and RVAW),and pericardial effusion(PE) were measured by M- and B-mode echocardiography, ventricular early and late diastolic filling peak velocities(E, A and E/A) and systolic peak pulmonary artery pressure(PAP) were assessed by Doppler techniques. Results PAP, RAD and RVED increased at 2 week following heart transplantation and gradually returned normal at one month. At 1-2 month after operation, IVS, LVPW and RVAW increased, and E decreased with a reversed E/A. PE was detected in moderate amount at 1-2 week, in small amount at 1-3 month, and disappeared at 6 month following the transplantation. Conclusions The structures and functions of the transplanted heart undergo serially adaptive changes postoperatively, and evaluation of these alterations echocardiographically may be helpful to identifying allograft rejection.