ABSTRACT
Objective@#To evaluate left ventricular (LV) dysfunction in patients with esophageal cancer (EC) during concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) using real-time three-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography (3D-STE) and analyze its influence factors.@*Methods@#Thirty-one patients with EC who received CCRT were enrolled in the study.Conventional echocardiography and 3D-STE were performed pre-CCRT and during CCRT (radiotherapy dose reached 40Gy). Three-dimensional parameters including LV end-diastolic volume (EDV), end-systolic volume (ESV), stroke volume (SV), left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), global longitudinal strain (GLS) as well as global circumferential strain (GCS) were compared between pre-CCRT and during CCRT. The independent factors on left ventricular function parameters were analyzed.@*Results@#There was no change on LV diameters, LV volumes and LVEF during CCRT (all P>0.05), while LV diastolic function indexes were impaired compared with those of pre-CCRT, demonstrated by the decreased E/A, Em/Am, and increased E/Em(all P<0.05). 3DGLS was also significantly decreased during CCRT compared with that of pre-CCRT (P<0.05), but no significant difference was found in 3DGCS (P>0.05). Multivariate linear regression analysis manifested that cardiac V40(the percentage of cardiac volume as radiotherapy dose reached 40Gy) was an independent determinant of LV 3DGLS in patients with esophageal cancer during CCRT (P<0.05).@*Conclusions@#LV GLS provided by real-time 3D-STE could sensitively detect CCRT-induced myocardial injury. Cardiac V40 is independently associated with LV 3DGLS during CCRT, representing the impact of radiotherapy on the subclinical LV function change.
