In this study, we aimed to compare the functional adaptations of the left ventricle in variant forms of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) and to evaluate the use of two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography (2D-STE) in differential diagnosis and prognosis. This was a prospective cohort study of 68 patients with LVH, including 20 patients with non-obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), 23 competitive top-level athletes free of cardiovascular disease, and 25 patients with hypertensive heart disease (HHD). All the subjects underwent 2D transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) and 2D-STE. The primary endpoint was all-cause mortality. Global longitudinal strain (GLS) below −12.5% was defined as severely reduced strain, −12.5% to −17.9% as mildly reduced strain, and above −18% as normal strain. The mean LV-GLS value was higher in athletes than in patients with HCM and HHD with the lowest value being in the HCM group (HCM: −11.4±2.2%; HHD: −13.6±2.6%; and athletes: −15.5±2.1%; p<0.001 among groups). LV-GLS below −12.5% distinguished HCM from others with 65% sensitivity and 77% specificity [area under curve (AUC)=0.808, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.699–0.917, p<0.001]. The median follow-up duration was 6.4±1.1 years. Overall, 11 patients (16%) died. Seven of these were in the HHD group, and four were in the HCM group. The mean GLS value in patients who died was −11.8±1.5%. LV-GLS was significantly associated with mortality after adjusting age and sex via multiple analysis (RR=0.723, 95% CI: 0.537–0.974, p=0.033). Patients with GLS below −12.5% had a higher risk of all-cause mortality compared with that of patients with GLS above −12.5% according to Kaplan-Meier survival analysis for 7 years (29% vs. 9%; p=0.032). The LV-GLS value predicts mortality with 64% sensitivity and 70% specificity with a cut-off value of −12.5 (AUC=0.740, 95% CI: 0.617–0.863, p=0.012). The 2D-STE provides important information about the longitudinal systolic function of the myocardium. It may enable differentiation variable forms of LVH and predict prognosis.

The most common cause of death in patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is cardiomyopathy. Our aim was to investigate the relationship between the Tpeak–Tend (Tp-e) interval and the premature ventricular contraction (PVC) burden and therefore early arrhythmic risk and cardiac involvement in DMD patients. Twenty-five patients with DMD followed by pediatric cardiology were included in the study. Those with a frequency of 1% were assigned to Group 2 (n = 10). Comparisons were made with healthy controls (n = 27). Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) was lowest in Group 2 and highest in the control group (p < 0.001). LV end-diastolic diameter was greater in Group 2 than in Group 1 and the control group (p = 0.005). Pro-BNP and troponin levels were higher in Group 1 and Group 2 than in the control group (p = 0.001 and p < 0.001, respectively). Tp-e interval was longer in Group 2 compared to Group 1 and the control group (p < 0.001). The LVEF (OR 0.879, 95% CI 0.812–0.953; p = 0.002) and Tp-e interval (OR 1.181, 95% CI 1.047–1.332; p = 0.007) were independent predictors of PVC/24 h frequency of >1%. A Tp-e interval > 71.65 ms predicts PVC > 1%, with a sensitivity of 80% and a specificity of 90% (AUC = 0.842, 95% CI (0.663–1.000), p = 0.001). Determination of Tp-e prolongation from ECG data may help in the determination of cardiac involvement and early diagnosis of arrhythmic risk in DMD.

Background/Objectives: Myocardial infarction with non-obstructive coronary arteries (MINOCA) represents a heterogeneous clinical entity in which patients exhibit symptoms and biomarker evidence of myocardial infarction despite the absence of significant coronary stenosis. This study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic and follow-up value of left ventricular global longitudinal strain (LV-GLS) in patients with MINOCA and to investigate its association with inflammatory and glycemic biomarkers. Methods: A total of 287 patients presenting with acute coronary syndrome were prospectively enrolled. Based on coronary angiographic findings, patients were classified into two groups: myocardial infarction with obstructive coronary arteries (MIOCA; ≥50% stenosis, n = 237) and MINOCA (<50% stenosis, n = 50). In addition, an ischemic control group without obstructive disease (INOCA, n = 50) was included for comparative analysis. Laboratory tests, echocardiography, and LV-GLS were assessed at baseline and at 3 months. Results: Baseline left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and LV-GLS were significantly lower in MIOCA compared with MINOCA (LVEF: 52.9 ± 10.3% vs. 59.7 ± 8.7%, p < 0.001; LV-GLS: −11.46 ± 4.84% vs. −12.63 ± 6.33%, p = 0.007, respectively). At 3 months, LVEF remained lower in the MIOCA group (57.5 ± 6.6% vs. 62.0 ± 7.9%; p < 0.001, respectively), whereas LV-GLS improved similarly in both groups with no significant difference (−15.27 ± 2.60% vs. −14.87 ± 5.21%; p = 0.29, respectively). Among MINOCA patients, the neutrophil-to-platelet ratio (NPR) (p = 0.017) and admission glucose (p = 0.047) were independently associated with impaired LV-GLS (defined as values greater than −16%). Conclusions: Although LVEF remained higher in MINOCA patients during follow-up, LV-GLS impairment persisted at levels comparable to those observed in MIOCA, suggesting ongoing subclinical myocardial dysfunction. LV-GLS offers superior diagnostic sensitivity to LVEF. Inflammatory and glycemic markers may aid in early risk stratification and guide management in patients with MINOCA.

Background The evidence of pathological involvement of the heart during the acute phase of COVID-19 is rapidly growing. But little is known on the cardiac consequences of COVID-19 after recovery. Few studies reported functional involvement of the left and right ventricle that might persist after recovery. The goal of the study was echocardiographic evaluation of non-hospitalized

Purpose: The effects of different COVID-19 therapeutic strategies on cardiac function are uncertain. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the effects of different medical treatments on biventricular function in patients who had recovered from COVID-19. Materials and Methods: Speckle-tracking echocardiography was performed to examine the biventricular myocardial function of patients at follow-up visits after recovery from COVID-19. The patients were divided into two groups based on the medication they used during the active disease: favipiravir (FAV; n = 60) or hydroxychloroquine (HCQ; n = 60). A comparison was made with risk factor–matched controls (n = 41). Results: A total of 161 patients were included in the study. The left ventricular end-diastolic volume, end-systolic volume, end-diastolic diameter, and end-systolic diameter were higher in the HCQ and FAV groups compared to the controls, while the left ventricular ejection fraction was similar between all the groups. The right ventricular diameter was increased, and the systolic pulmonary artery pressure was higher in the HCQ and FAV groups compared to the controls. The left ventricular global longitudinal strain (-18±6.6 vs. -19.7±4.4 vs. -20.4±5, respectively), the right ventricular global longitudinal strain (-19.8±7.5 vs. -22.2±6 vs. -23.4±6.2, respectively), and the right ventricular free wall strain (-16.9±3.6 vs. -18.2±2.4 vs. -19.6±4.7, respectively) were worse in the HCQ group compared to the FAV and control groups. Conclusion: This study found echocardiographic evidence of subclinical cardiac involvement in both the HCQ and FAV groups compared to the controls. However, HCQ treatment was associated with an increased risk of biventricular subclinical systolic dysfunction in COVID-19 survivors compared with FAV treatment.