3-Dimensional Versus 2-Dimensional Speckle-Tracking Echocardiography for Right Ventricular Myocardial Fibrosis in Patients With End-Stage Heart Failure.

Abstract Background Longitudinal strain of the right ventricular (RV) free wall (RVFWLS) assessed by 2-dimensional (2D) speckle-tracking echocardiography (STE) has been recently demonstrated to correlate with the extent of RV myocardial fibrosis (MF). However, the value of 3-dimensional (3D) STE–derived strain parameters in predicting RV MF has not been investigated in patients with end-stage heart failure (HF). Objectives This study aimed to determine which RV strain parameter assessed by 2D-STE and 3D-STE was the most reliable parameter for predicting RV MF in patients with end-stage HF against histological confirmation of MF. Methods A total of 105 consecutive patients with end-stage HF undergoing heart transplantation were enrolled in our study. The conventional RV function parameters, 2D-RVFWLS, and 3D-RVFWLS were obtained in these patients. The degree of MF was quantified by Masson trichrome staining in RV myocardial samples. The study population was divided into 3 groups according to the degree of MF on histology. Results Patients with severe MF had lower 3D-RVFWLS, 2D-RVFWLS, and conventional parameters of RV function compared with those with mild and moderate MF. RV MF strongly correlated with 3D-RVFWLS (r = −0.72; p  Conclusions 3D-RVFWLS may be the most robust echocardiographic measure for predicting the extent of RV MF in patients with end-stage HF.