Usefulness of two-dimensional strain echocardiography for evaluation of left ventricular diastolic function in diabetes mellitus

Objective: To evaluate diastole function of left ventricular in early diabetic cardiomyopathy by two-dimensional strain echocardiography (2-DSE). Methods: Twenty-nine diabetic patients and 30 healthy people were chosed,strain rate based on Doppler tissue imaging and 2-DSE were performed on DM and healthy subjects at apical long axis,two-chamber and four-chamber views. The following parameters were analyzed in basal and middle segments (all in longitudinal direction only):early diastolic strain rate (SRe), late diastolic strain rate (SRa) and the ratio of SRe/SRa; mitral Doppler inflow were analyzed and E/A ratio were calculated. The results were compared. Results: Compared with healthy subjects,the parameters of E,E/A,SRe,SRe/Sra,in DM decreased significantly (P < 0.01),there was a significant difference in those parameters of SRe,SRe/SRa between two groups. Conclusions: 2-DSE is a new simple,rapid,angle-independent and reproducible method to assess global and regional left ventricular myocardial diastole function quanlitification. It can assess early left ventricular diastolic dysfunction in diabetic cardiomyopathy.