The application of four-dimensional automatic left atrial quantitation to evaluate left atrial function in patients with essential hypertension / 中华超声影像学杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective:To explore the application of four-dimensional automatic left atrial quantitation (4D LAQ) in evaluating left atrial function in patients with essential hypertension (EH) and to find the independent correlative factors affecting left atrial function.Methods:Fifty patients with EH(EH group) and fifty healthy controls(control group) were selected from Fuwai Center China Cardiovascular Hospital from September 2020 to January 2021. Conventional two-dimensional echocardiography was performed, and 4D LAQ parameters, including left atrial minimum volume (LAVmin), left atrial maximum volume (LAVmax), left atrial pre-systolic volume (LAVpreA), left atrial maximum volume index (LAVImax), left atrial reservoir longitudinal strain (LASr), left atrial conduit longitudinal strain (LAScd) and left atrial contraction longitudinal strain (LASct) was analyzed. The independent sample t-test or rank sum test was used to compare the EH group with the normal control group, and ROC curves were used to find the most sensitive parameters for evaluating left atrial function and their correlations were investigated by univariate and multivariate linear regression analyses. Results:Compared with the control group, there was no difference in left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) ( P>0.05), LAVmin, LAVmax, LAVpreA and LAVImax increased significantly (all P<0.05), the absolute values of LASr, LAScd and LASct were decreased (all P<0.05). ROC curve analysis showed that LASr had the best performance in evaluating left atrial function in EH patients (AUC: 0.929), systolic blood pressure (SBP), relative wall thickness (RWT) and E/e′ were negatively correlated with LASr (β=-0.308, P<0.05; β=-0.219, P<0.05; β=-0.359, P<0.05). Conclusions:4D LAQ can early identify the changes of left atrial function in EH patients, and the longitudinal strain in the left atrial reservoir period, left atrial conduit period and left atrial contraction period are all impaired in EH patients. LASr has the highest evaluation efficiency in evaluating the left atrial function, and SBP, RWT and E/e′ are independently correlated with LASr.