Functional significance of left ventricular distortion in patients with right ventricular volume or pressure overloading

: To evaluate the effects of left ventricular (LV) distortion on its pump function, the LV cavity shape was analyzed by two-dimensional echocardiography in normal subjects and in patients with right ventricular (RV) volume or pressure overload. The functional significance of LV distortion in the short-axis sections was evaluated by an index of the efficiency of ejection (E) of endocardial circumferential fiber length (ECL) shortening in reducing LV cavity area during systole; E = measured systolic area reduction/ideal systolic area reduction X 100 (%), where an ideal area at end-diastole or end-systole was computed for the measured ECL, assuming its shape to be perfectly circular (ideal area = ECL2/4 pi), and then an ideal systolic area reduction was determined. E at the chordal level was termed Ech. In patients with atrial septal defect (ASD), the LV cavity was distorted at end-diastole and became more circular at end-systole. Since this characteristic change during systole diminished the E, and the values of E at the chordal level (Ech) were significantly lower in ASD than those in normal subjects (89.4 +/- 4.4% vs 98.3 +/- 0.8%, p less than 0.001), strongly suggesting impairment of the efficiency of LV pump function in ASD. In patients with pulmonary hypertension, the LV cavity was more distorted at systole, and a decrease in cavity area at end-systole with the distorted LV contributed to increased systolic area reduction. Thus, the values of Ech in this group exceeded 100% in five of nine patients (103.8 +/- 12.3%). In other words, when marked RV systolic overload exists, an increase in LV systolic area reduction due to progressive LV compression will occur against LV systolic pressure. This phenomenon suggests the existence of "cardiac massage on the LV by the RV with elevated pressure". In conclusion, it was strongly suggested that the efficiency of LV pump function is modulated by RV overload through dynamic changes in the LV shape.