Concordance between Doppler and pulsed-wave Doppler tissue imaging in estimation of the degree of left ventricular dysfunction and correlating it to the degree of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

ABSTRACT

Objective: As a consequence of leftward shift of the interventricular septum and of pericardial restraint, related to the degree of right ventricular dilation, alveolar hypoxia and related pulmonary vascular changes, left ventricular function is influenced by chronic obstructive pulmonary disease [COPD]. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of echocardiographic abnormalities by conventional echocardiography and Doppler tissue imaging [DTI] in COPD patients according to the degree of disease severity