Coronary Ectasia Is Associated with Impaired Left Ventricular Myocardial Performance in Patients without Significant Coronary Artery Stenosis

Objectives: To determine both ventricular functions and tissue Doppler echocardiography (TDE)-derived myocardial performance index (MPI) in patients with coronary artery ectasia (CAE). Subjects and Methods: 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. Results: 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). Conclusion: 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. Copyright (C) 2011 S. Karger AG, Basel