Assessment of left ventricular function using mitral annular velocities in patients with congestive heart failure with or without the presence of significant mitral regurgitation.

Myocardial velocities in patients with congestive heart failure (CHF) were studied using pulsed wave Doppler tissue imaging. Velocities were recorded at the mitral and tricuspid annulus. Four sites at the mitral annuli were selected corresponding to the septal, lateral, inferior, and anterior walls of the left ventricle from apical 4- and 2-chamber views. A mean value from the above 4 sites was selected to describe the mitral annular velocities. Only one site of the tricuspid annulus was selected, corresponding to the right ventricular free wall. Three different annular velocities were recorded: the peak systolic, and the peak early and late diastolic velocities. A total of 96 patients were compared with 12 age-matched healthy participants. Patients with CHF had significantly decreased mitral and tricuspid systolic velocities compared with healthy participants (4.9 vs 9.3 cm/s, P <.001, for the mitral annulus and 10.4 vs 14.6 cm/s, P <.001, for the tricuspid annulus). The early diastolic velocity was also reduced in patients compared with healthy participants (5.9 vs 10.9 cm/s, P <.001, for the mitral annulus and 8.6 vs 12.9 cm/s, P <.001, for the tricuspid annulus). Patients with CHF had a severely depressed left ventricular ejection fraction (EF) (27%). The correlation the between systolic mitral annular velocity and EF was relatively good (r = 0.59 and P <.001). The patients with CHF were divided into 2 subgroups depending on the presence or absence of significant mitral regurgitation. There was a correlation between EF and the systolic mitral annular velocity both in patients with (r = 0.61, P <.001) and without (r = 0.59, P <.001) significant mitral regurgitation. In conclusion, compared with healthy participants, the mitral and tricuspid annular velocities are significantly decreased in patients with CHF. The correlation between EF and the systolic mitral annular velocity is relatively good irrespective of the presence or absence of significant mitral regurgitation. Measurements of annular velocities constitute a simple and useful method for evaluating patients with CHF.